She Said / She Said with Laura Cox Kaplan

She Said/She Said Podcast with Laura Cox Kaplan

Episode 374

Guest: UK Fashion Designer Edeline Lee

What do we miss when we see only the finished result?

In Episode 374 of She Said/She Said Podcast, host Laura Cox Kaplan talks with London-based fashion designer Edeline Lee about the work, people, and persistence behind a moment of success. At her recent London show, Edeline brought her team’s sewing and fittings into view alongside the models (professional ballerinas), revealing the collaboration behind the finished collection.

Edeline’s designs have been worn by Catherine, Princess of Wales; Dame Helen Mirren; Queen Rania of Jordan; and Taylor Swift. In this conversation, Edeline shares how she pursued fashion despite her family’s hopes for a different career, how her idea of the “future lady” guides the clothes she creates, and what 15 years of building a brand have taught her about creativity and leadership. Laura and Edeline explore how definitions of success and thriving can change with us.

Three important takeaways:

1. What goes into a finished success. Edeline’s London show revealed the team, repeated practice, and last-minute work behind the images audiences usually see.
2. How experiences outside your chosen path can shape your work. Edeline studied sociology while pursuing fashion on the side, and that background still informs how she thinks about women’s lives and designs for them.
3. Why success calls for reflection as well as persistence. After fifteen years building her brand, Edeline is making space to ask what she wants next, and what will help her and her team thrive along the way.

She Said/She Said Podcast is part of host and creator Laura Cox Kaplan’s broader platform of work exploring the choices, relationships, and conditions that help us thrive.

FEEDBACK & COMMUNITY:

Which part of this episode resonated with you most? We’d love to hear! Contact us using the links below.

LET’S CONNECT!

• Instagram: @lauracoxkaplan
• LinkedIn: Laura Cox Kaplan
• Contact: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com
• Email: [email protected]

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Episode 373: BURU Founder Morgan Hutchinson on Bipolar Blonde, Identity & Breaking the Stigma

Morgan Hutchinson, founder of the fashion brand Buru and author of Bipolar Blonde, joins She Said/She Said Podcast host Laura Cox Kaplan for a candid conversation about living with bipolar disorder, mental health stigma, identity, and the power of being fully seen.

Morgan shares her experience with diagnosis and mania, why she decided to tell this deeply personal story, and how shame can keep people from seeking the support they need. She also reflects on the role her mother, husband Brett, and close friends played in helping her navigate some of the most difficult moments of her life.

The conversation explores motherhood, marriage, faith, vulnerability, and the challenge of separating a diagnosis from a sense of self.

Morgan and Laura originally met through The Southern C. Bipolar Blonde is published by Hoffman Media. 

Content note: This episode includes discussion of mental illness and a suicide attempt. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.



FEEDBACK & COMMUNITY:

Which part of this episode resonated with you most? We’d love to hear! Contact us using the links below.

LET’S CONNECT!

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• LinkedIn: Laura Cox Kaplan
• Contact: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com
• Email: [email protected]

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She Said/She Said Podcast with Laura Cox Kaplan, Episode 372

What if the answer to feeling overwhelmed isn’t finding more time, but becoming much more intentional about the time we already have?

This week on She Said/She Said Podcast, host Laura Cox Kaplan welcomes back longtime media executive, startup investor, bestselling author, and entrepreneur Fran Hauser to talk about her new book, Twenty Minutes Is the New Hour: The Ambitious Woman’s Guide to Doing Less and Achieving More.

It’s a perfect follow-up to Episode 371, where Laura explored the difference between intention and architecture, and why our goals need structures, habits, and choices that actually support the life we say we want.

Fran takes that idea one step further by challenging a belief many ambitious women have absorbed: that meaningful progress requires more time, more productivity, and more pushing. 

Fran shares why 20 minutes can often be enough to move something meaningful forward, and why giving ourselves less time can actually create greater clarity and focus. She learned that lesson firsthand when she decided to open Bedford Books in just eight weeks—a process that forced her to distinguish between what was truly essential and what could wait.

Laura and Fran also dig into:

• The four Ps that steal our time: perfectionism, people-pleasing, procrastination, and “padding”
• Why we often expand tasks and meetings simply because we’ve given ourselves more time to complete them
• Kronos vs. Kairos: the difference between measuring time and experiencing it
• Why white space, deep work, walking, thinking, and even doing “nothing” can be surprisingly productive
• How to create more space for creativity and better thinking
• Fran’s simple rule for deciding what belongs on her calendar versus her to-do list
• Why meetings don’t automatically deserve an hour
• How to be more intentional about the time we spend on social media
• Fran’s idea of balancing “vibe and value” when creating content
• Laura’s HHH social media guardrails
• Why a to-don’t list can be even more powerful than a to-do list
• How to recognize when kindness has quietly slipped into people-pleasing
• Why protecting our time is ultimately about protecting our energy, attention, and agency

Underlying the entire conversation is a bigger idea: thriving isn’t necessarily about squeezing more into every available minute. Sometimes it’s about becoming much clearer about what deserves those minutes in the first place.

Fran’s new book, Twenty Minutes Is the New Hour, is filled with practical strategies for doing exactly that.

Find Fran through FranHauser.com, Bedford Books, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Substack

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FEEDBACK & COMMUNITY:

Which part of this episode resonated with you most? We’d love to hear! Contact us using the links below.

LOOKING FOR MORE SHE SAID/SHE SAID? You’ll find all our episodes & lots more content: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com

LET’S CONNECT!

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• LinkedIn: Laura Cox Kaplan
• Contact: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com
• Email: [email protected]

PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST

Love the show? Please consider leaving a review on Spotify, iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube, or wherever you listen. Your feedback helps shape the podcast and brings more amazing content your way!

Note: She Said/She Said Podcast is a weekly production of She Said/She Said Media.

She Said/She Said Podcast with Laura Cox Kaplan

Episode 371:

September has a way of feeling like a second January. Summer winds down, calendars fill up, work gets busy fast, and suddenly we’re looking at everything we want to accomplish before the end of the year.

But what if the more useful question isn’t simply, What do I want to accomplish?

What if it’s: What do I need to build around me to make it easier to thrive?

In this solo episode, host Laura Cox Kaplan explores the difference between intention and architecture: the routines, relationships, boundaries, defaults, calendar decisions, and environments that shape or daily existence and how we actually live.

Most of us already know what matters to us, and the list often includes: taking care of our health, investing in our relationships, doing meaningful work, continuing to learn, creating space to think, and having enough energy, resources, and flexibility to handle the unexpected.

The challenge is creating the conditions that make those things easier to sustain.

As Laura puts it, “Good intentions tell us what we value and where we want to go. Architecture helps translate what matters into the way we actually live.”

In this episode:

• Why September can be the perfect time for a different kind of reset
• The difference between intention and architecture
• Why a lack of discipline may not actually be the biggest problem
• How small structural changes can make good choices easier
• Why relationships, health, learning, rest, and even white space build resilience
• Five practical ways to create more supportive architecture
• Why the goal isn’t simply greater productivity; it’s greater capacity to thrive
• How to prepare for a future we can’t perfectly predict

So this fall, instead of only asking what you want to accomplish, consider asking:

What do I need to build now to create the conditions that will help me to thrive? 

FEEDBACK & COMMUNITY:

Which part of this episode resonated with you most? We’d love to hear! Contact us using the links below.

LOOKING FOR MORE SHE SAID/SHE SAID? You’ll find all our episodes & lots more content: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com

LET’S CONNECT!

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• LinkedIn: Laura Cox Kaplan
• Contact: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com
• Email: [email protected]

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Said/She Said Media.

When was the last time you asked yourself what you're actually ambitious for? Not what you were ambitious for at 25, or what everyone around you assumes you still want?

It's a question host Laura Cox Kaplan has often reflected on since she left her corporate job and found that the definition of ambition she'd carried for three decades no longer fit. This week she's joined by clinical psychologist, executive coach, and repeat guest Anne Welsh, author of the new book Ambitious Mother: From Surviving to Thriving in Your Career and Life, out August 6, 2026.

Anne makes the case that ambition was never a ladder. The ladder limits us to power, title, and money, and why so many folks think motherhood is where ambition goes to die. It doesn't! Anne offers an alternative: move in any direction, be ambitious for impact or connection or peace or play, change course without falling off. Laura shares what Sheryl Sandberg told her when she asked the same question thirteen years after Lean In, an answer that lands squarely inside Anne's framework. And Anne offers a reframe worth the whole episode: what we call mom guilt is often grief. Guilt implies wrongdoing. Grief simply acknowledges you can't be in two places at once.

If you've ever wondered whether you're still ambitious after your life changed shape, this conversation is for you.

Anne Welsh is a clinical psychologist, executive coach, and mother of four. A former Harvard psychologist, she left to build her own practice and has spent 20 years working with women navigating career, motherhood, and identity. Her new book, Ambitious Mother: From Surviving to Thriving in Your Career and Life, publishes August 6 and includes a chapter written for workplaces on the changes that make careers more sustainable for working parents, and for everyone else. Anne first joined Laura on She Said/She Said in Episode 324.

AMBITION AS A WEB, NOT A LADDER: Why the ladder model limits ambition to power, title, and money, and how the web lets you change direction without falling off.

MOTHERHOOD AS AN AMBITION CLARIFIER: Anne's central argument, drawn from 20 years of clinical practice: motherhood changes ambition's shape and direction, but it doesn't end it.

MOM GUILT VS. GRIEF: Guilt signals wrongdoing. What we're often feeling is grief about limited time, which carries none of the shame.

THE THREE PS — PERFECTIONISM, PEOPLE PLEASING, AND PRETENDING: How these behaviors are socialized and rewarded in girls, and why they stop working as careers and families grow.

THE CLOSET CLEAN-OUT: Anne's exercise for naming every role you carry and examining what still fits in this season.

• Book: Ambitious Mother: From Surviving to Thriving in Your Career and Life (available August 6)
• LinkedIn: Dr. Anne Welsh
• Website: drannewelsh.com

RELATED EPISODES YOU'LL LIKE:

• Episode 360: Sheryl Sandberg on how she defines ambition today

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FEEDBACK & COMMUNITY:

Which part of this episode resonated with you most? We’d love to hear! Contact us using the links below.

LOOKING FOR MORE SHE SAID/SHE SAID? You’ll find all our episodes & lots more content: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com

LET’S CONNECT!

• Instagram: @lauracoxkaplan
• LinkedIn: Laura Cox Kaplan
• Contact: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com
• Email: [email protected]

PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST

Love the show? Please consider leaving a review on Spotify, iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube, or wherever you listen. Your feedback helps shape the podcast and brings more amazing content your way!



Note: She Said/She Said Podcast is a weekly production of She Said/She Said Media.

She Said/She Said Podcast with Laura Cox Kaplan

Episode 369

Guest: Ashley Elston, author "First Lie Wins" and Anatomy of an Alibi"

Author Ashley Elston joins host Laura Cox Kaplan for this episode of the She Said/She Said Podcast Summer Reads Series to discuss the unlikely career journey that led from wedding photography to becoming a New York Times bestselling author twice over.

Before First Lie Wins became a Reese's Book Club pick and a runaway bestseller, Ashley spent years teaching herself how to write, collecting more than 80 rejections from literary agents, and learning to trust a creative path she never imagined for herself.

In this conversation, Ashley and Laura explore the power of reinvention, why success can make the next project even more challenging, and how experiences that may seem unrelated often become the foundation for our greatest work. Ashley also shares the surprising storytelling lessons she learned while photographing weddings, the visual process she uses to build intricate psychological thrillers, and why she believes one simple mindset has shaped her entire career: "Just assume you can."

Whether you're navigating a career pivot, building something new, or looking for the confidence to begin before you feel ready, this conversation offers practical wisdom and an encouraging reminder that meaningful reinvention can happen at any stage of life.

• Ashley's journey from wedding photographer to bestselling author
• The 85 rejections that never convinced her to quit
• Why being self-taught became one of her greatest strengths
• The unexpected connection between photography and storytelling
• Writing First Lie Wins and Anatomy of an Alibi
• Managing self-doubt after major success
• Ashley's unique visual process for organizing complex plots
• Creativity, curiosity, and learning new skills
• Why reinvention is available at every stage of life
• The advice Ashley gives anyone considering a big career or life change

• First Lie Wins
• Anatomy of an Alibi

If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who may be considering a new chapter of their own.

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FEEDBACK & COMMUNITY:

Which part of this episode resonated with you most? We’d love to hear! Contact us using the links below.

LOOKING FOR MORE SHE SAID/SHE SAID? You’ll find all our episodes & lots more content: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com

LET’S CONNECT!

• Instagram: @lauracoxkaplan
• LinkedIn: Laura Cox Kaplan
• Contact: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com
• Email: [email protected]



PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST

Love the show? Please consider leaving a review on Spotify, iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube, or wherever you listen. Your feedback helps shape the podcast and brings more amazing content your way!

Note: She Said/She Said Podcast is a weekly production of She Said/She Said Media.

Episode 368: Dana Perino on her new book Purple State, Creative Vulnerability, Values Alignment & The Power of Listening

Part of our She Said/She Said Podcast Summer Beach Reads Series for 2026

Dana Perino, bestselling author of multiple books including Everything Will Be Okay, host of Fox News's The Five, and author of the debut novel Purple State, joins Laura to discuss her creative leap into fiction—and what that vulnerability unlocks about character, choice, and personal growth.

In this episode:

• Why a veteran journalist and multi-time bestselling nonfiction author chose to write fiction—and what the creative leap teaches you about risk and vulnerability
• The difference between political alignment and values alignment (and why it matters in love and leadership)
• Listening as the most undervalued skill in leadership today
• How non-linear career paths become the raw material for meaningful character work

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FEEDBACK & COMMUNITY:

Which part of this episode resonated with you most? We’d love to hear! Contact us using the links below.

LET’S CONNECT!

• Instagram: @lauracoxkaplan
• LinkedIn: Laura Cox Kaplan
• Contact: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com
• Email: [email protected]

LOOKING FOR MORE SHE SAID/SHE SAID? You’ll find all our episodes & lots more content: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com

PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST

Love the show? Please consider leaving a review on Spotify, iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube, or wherever you listen. Your feedback helps shape the podcast and brings more amazing content your way!

Note: She Said/She Said Podcast is a weekly production of She Said/She Said Media.

SHOW NOTES

Episode 367: Alexandra Andrews on Reinvention, Creativity, and The Fine Art of Lying

What happens when a dream refuses to stay tucked away?

In Episode 367 of She Said/She Said, part of our Summer Beach Read Series, Laura sits down with bestselling novelist Alexandra Andrews, author of “The Fine Art of Lying,” Reese's Book Club's May selection, and the acclaimed, bestselling thriller “Who Is Maud Dixon?”

While this conversation begins with Alexandra's irresistible, twist-filled novel set in the art world, it quickly becomes something more. Together, Laura and Alexandra explore the questions that resonate far beyond the pages of a great beach read: What do we do with ambitions we've postponed or outgrown? How do creativity and identity evolve through motherhood, career pivots, and life's unexpected detours? And what happens when the thing we once dreamed of becoming won't stop calling us back?

Alexandra shares her winding path from journalism and copywriting to becoming a bestselling novelist, the perfectionism she had to overcome, and the practical habits that helped her finally finish the book she'd always wanted to write.

In this conversation, you'll hear:

• Why Alexandra gave herself an ultimatum that ultimately changed her life

• The surprising connection between creativity, identity, and fulfillment

• How motherhood and the pandemic helped shape The Fine Art of Lying

• Practical advice for anyone struggling to make time for a dream they've put on hold

• Why finishing something may matter even more than succeeding at it

The Summer Beach Read Series isn't just about great books. It's about the women behind them: their reinventions, pivots, risks, and lessons learned along the way. Whether you're looking for your next page-turner or contemplating a dream of your own, this conversation will leave you inspired to take the next step.

FEEDBACK & COMMUNITY:

Which part of this episode resonated with you most? We’d love to hear! Contact us using the links below.

LOOKING FOR MORE SHE SAID/SHE SAID? You’ll find all our episodes & lots more content: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com

LET’S CONNECT!

• Instagram: @lauracoxkaplan
• LinkedIn: Laura Cox Kaplan
• Contact: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com
• Email: [email protected]

MORE SPECIAL OFFERS FOR SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST LISTENERS: 

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PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST

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Note: She Said/She Said Podcast is a weekly production of She Said/She Said Media

Episode 366: Graduation Advice That Actually Works at Every Career Stage

Solo episode with host Laura Cox Kaplan

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC:

Graduation season is here! Inspired by her own high school senior’s big milestone, Laura Cox Kaplan revisits the most valuable lessons for graduates—but emphasizes that these lessons matter at any life stage. In this solo episode, Laura shares advice on how to approach the unknown next chapter, build what she calls “experience equity,” and cultivate the mindset and habits that create success and meaning, even (and especially) when the road ahead isn’t clear.

KEY TOPICS AND WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:

MINDSET MATTERS MOST: Discover why your mindset, and how you respond to setbacks or challenges, is the single most important thing you can control. Laura contrasts the “fixed” versus “growth” mindset and gives examples of how your outlook determines gained value (and skills!) including from tough experiences 03:54.

THE POWER OF INTENTION: Before setting your direction, set your intention. Laura shares a daily habit of deciding how to show up, and why this tiny but powerful practice changes what you notice and how open you are to opportunities 06:20.

ASK YOURSELF THE RIGHT QUESTIONS: Instead of only asking “What should I do with my life?”ask “How do I want to show up?”and why this framing is crucial for new grads and anyone starting a new chapter 08:22.

BUILD EXPERIENCE EQUITY: Learn why the best jobs, especially early in your career, aren’t always the highest-paying ones but can be investments in your experience equity account 10:05.

EVERY CHAPTER COUNTS: From failures to unexpected connections and even detours add “interest” to your personal and professional growth account. No single experience needs to define everything; it’s the accumulation and diversity of experiences that eventually pay dividends 14:24.

THE NON-LINEAR JOURNEY: Drawing from both personal experience and recent podcast interviews with authors, Laura Cox Kaplan explains why careers are not ladders, but accounts that grow as long as you stay curious and lean in 17:49.

Whether you’re fresh out of school or navigating your third career pivot, you’ll walk away with a new way to think about progress, value, and building a meaningful life. We love hearing from you! What resonated most in this episode? Share your thoughts with us!

LET’S CONNECT!

• Instagram: @lauracoxkaplan
• LinkedIn: Laura Cox Kaplan
• Contact: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com
• Email: [email protected]

PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST

Love the show? Please consider leaving a review on Spotify, iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube, or wherever you listen. Your feedback helps shape the podcast and brings more amazing content your way!

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FEEDBACK & COMMUNITY:

Which part of this episode resonated with you most? We’d love to hear! Contact us using the links below.

LOOKING FOR MORE SHE SAID/SHE SAID? You’ll find all our episodes & lots more content: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com

Note: She Said/She Said Podcast is a weekly production of She Said/She Said Media.

SHOW NOTES

Episode 365: Deborah Goodrich Royce on Reinvention, Identity, and the 41-Year Arc to Best Boy

THIS WEEK’S TOPIC:

This week, as part of our Summer Beach Read Series, host Laura Cox Kaplan welcomes one of her favorite authors, Deborah Goodrich Royce, to explore the layered, twisty world of identity thrillers, a genre uniquely her own. From Deborah’s career pivots (including acting and editorial film work) to her personal stories of pain, growth, and reinvention, Deborah brings real-life inspiration to every page she writes.

This rich and candid conversation covers the themes at the heart of Deborah’s newest novel, Best Boy, and reveals how our personal stories and secrets, big and small, shape who we are, and who we become. Whether you love behind-the-scenes creative stories, are navigating a pivot of your own, or simply crave a great beach read, you’ll find wisdom, encouragement, and plenty of surprises in this episode.

ABOUT THIS WEEK’S GUEST:

Deborah Goodrich Royce is the best-selling author of four novels, including her latest, Best Boy. Deborah’s own journey, which spans acting (including a role on All My Children), film development, motherhood, and literary success, infuses her writing with authenticity and depth. Her books have captivated readers with the nuanced, evolving stories of women’s identity, secrets, and transformation across the decades.

KEY TOPICS AND WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:

• GENESIS OF AN “IDENTITY THRILLER”:
• Deborah Goodrich Royce shares the origins of her fascination with female identity and how she developed the genre of identity thrillers. From the influence of classic works like Reviving Ophelia to personal observations of generational change, she unpacks why questions of “who am I?” and the secrets we all carry are central to her fiction.
• CAREER PIVOTS & THE MESSY MIDDLE:
• Deborah’s own nonlinear path, from suburban Detroit to the soap opera world of New York and LA, and later to Paris and Connecticut, is a lesson in resilience, reinvention, and the beauty of not knowing exactly where life might lead next. Her story includes hard-won insights about grieving the end of one chapter, embracing what’s next, and advice for enjoying the journey, even in the “messy middle.”
• NAVIGATING LOSS, CHANGE & RESILIENCE:
• The conversation delves into both chosen and unchosen pivots (including her experience with divorce and single parenting), and how such experiences become both stumbling blocks and story material.
• HOW PERSONAL EXPERIENCE FUELS FICTION:
• Deborah reveals which elements of her life, including family trauma, generational secrets, and even a home burglary, infiltrate her narratives, making them feel lived-in and relatable.
• CREATING & PRESERVING STORIES (AND SPACES):
• Beyond the page, Deborah is devoted to preserving historic spaces and nurturing community. Her stewardship of a beloved cinema, and commitment to supporting fellow writers, speaks to a belief that the stories we choose, about the places we live and the lives we build, matter deeply.
• ADVICE FOR WRITERS & WOMEN AT THE CROSSROADS:
• Insightful advice for anyone facing a crossroads: keep moving forward, find small joys every day, study what fascinates you, and trust that even if the path isn’t clear now, you’re always writing your own story.

There’s so much to love in this thoughtful, wide-ranging episode. What resonates most with you? We’d love your feedback!

You can reach Laura and the team via the website: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com or by emailing: [email protected].

MORE SPECIAL OFFERS FOR SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST LISTENERS: 

Use the link below to shop all of our special offers and receive exclusive She Said listener discounts:

Get them at: https://MyDeals.Page/1w7d

Be sure to use our Promo Code: SHESAID at checkout



LOOKING FOR MORE SHE SAID/SHE SAID? You’ll find all our episodes & lots more content: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com

LET’S CONNECT!

• Instagram: @lauracoxkaplan
• LinkedIn: Laura Cox Kaplan
• Contact: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com
• Email: [email protected]

PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST

Love the show? Please consider leaving a review on Spotify, iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube, or wherever you listen. Your feedback helps shape the podcast and brings more amazing content your way!

Note: She Said/She Said Podcast is a weekly production of She Said/She Said Media.