Smashing The Ceiling

Jaclyn Whittal is the kind of woman we love on this podcast: she is brave, fearless and she says 'Yes' to almost every opportunity that comes her way in life. This approach has led her down a winding career path involving Shania Twain and a role as Sandy in the German version of Grease, to her current work in television, where she can be found daily on the Weather Network in North America as a meteorologist, and on Amazon Prime as part of the team presenting Storm Hunters, a show telling the stories of storm chasers in North America.

Yes, you read that right - like Helen Hunt in Twister (iconic 90's movie) - Jaclyn is a storm chaser, and spends her time following tornados, hurricanes and other severe weather systems. 

But Jaclyn started her professional life as a singer and musician, performing in large musical theatre productions, writing music and releasing two rock albums, but when nearing the age of 30, decided there was something more out there for her. As a self-confessed "weather nerd" who was keen on a career in the media, she enrolled in a part-time Masters in meteorology and her career has sky-rocketed from there. Jaclyn believes, she says, that everyone has three good careers in them. First musician, then storm chaser...listen in to see what she thinks could be next!

The word ‘powerhouse’ is much overused these days, but it certainly applies to Gabby Edlin in the context of periods. She is a tour de force in the fight against period poverty as founder and CEO of Bloody Good Period, an enterprise that provides menstrual products for asylum seekers in the UK, and campaigns to change the conversation around women’s health and menstruation.

Gabby’s career trajectory to date is an interesting and inspiring one, and if we’re talking about forcing opening a door where only a chink of light shows, then she is the boss. Brought up in Manchester in a Jewish family, Gabby’s passion for social justice and women’s issues began early. In the interests of full disclosure, I should probably say that Gabby and I went to school together - I’m a couple of years older than her, and she is MUCH more creative than me, but we were both inspired by our favourite English teacher and share a deep love of our home city.

In this episode we discuss: 

- Gabby's early desire to be a fashion designer, her love of photography and how she pursued this via a Fine Art foundation course

- Realising that photography was not for her, and switching to an academic degree in English Literature, History of Art and Fine Art despite not possessing the qualifications she needed 

- Working in museums and galleries, applying for her Masters degree and crowd-funding her studies before being awarded a scholarship

- The idea for Bloody Good Period, working with asylum seekers at drop-in centres and what she has learned so far

- The future of women's health, political policy around periods and education in the sphere

Where to find Gabby and Bloody Good Period:

- Website: https://www.bloodygoodperiod.com  

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloodygoodperiod/ 

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shereenkassam/   

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/bloodygood__ 

- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloodygoodperiod/ 

- Gabby's Masters: https://www.arts.ac.uk/subjects/business-and-management-and-science/postgraduate/ma-applied-imagination-in-the-creative-industries-csm  

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Shereen Kassam defines herself as a corporate America addict, stand-up comedy lover, speaker of all things fun, podcasting enthusiast, improv teacher and shoe junkie. What a list! Shereen's dad wanted her to be a doctor, but she couldn't cope with the blood so instead, after her degree at Brown University, she became a strategy consultant, and now works in-house for Disney in Florida, where she grew up.

Shereen was a shy child, but tried stand-up for the first time after reluctantly escorting her drunk housemate to a comedy club. It's fair to say she's progressed quickly, winning multiple awards with her show, Funny Brown Girl, and performing worldwide from New York to Saigon. Shereen draws on her relationship with her South Asian Muslim parents, and is not afraid to mine material that others might be nervous of tackling. She is an honest, hilarious podcast guest and it was such a pleasure to chat to her!

In this episode we discuss: 

- Shereen's early life and how her career choices were shaped by conversations with her parents

- Her career in strategy consulting and how her corporate life offers an unexpected degree of creativity

- How she unexpectedly found stand up comedy and discovered the joy of being on stage

- Her podcast, Creative Breakthrough, and the pleasure and satisfaction she draws from that

- Her future aspirations for her career, succeeding in her goals and her aims in comedy 

Where to find Shereen:

- The Funny Brown Girl website: https://funnybrowngirl.com  

- The Creative Breakthrough podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/creative-breakthrough-jumpstart-your-creative-career/id1437082823 

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/funnybrowngirl/ 

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shereenkassam/   

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/funnybrowngirl 

- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FunnyBrownGirl/ 

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/shereenkassam 

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- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-mellor-171550150/ 

This week’s guest, Kathryn Nicolai, has a voice that soothes the soul, and since her podcast, Nothing Much Happens, launched in April 2018, she has gently encouraged more than two million people to snuggle into their duvet and fall asleep. When we were little, if you were lucky, I bet someone read to you to see you off to sleep, but remarkably, at some point we forget the pleasure that used to bring us, meaning that bedtime stories for adults are just not a ‘thing’, or they weren’t until now. 

There clearly is a need though, as Kathryn’s podcast has become an international sensation. But before Nothing Much Happens, Kathryn was - and still is - a yoga instructor, and owns her own studio in Michigan. So today’s episode covers two areas really - firstly, how Kathryn found solace in yoga at a difficult time in her life, and how she started her own business at a relatively young age; secondly how the simple, perfect idea of bedtime stories for adults took shape in the form of Nothing Much Happens, and how trusting your gut can lead you down paths you never expected. 

In this episode we discuss:

- Kathryn's early life and her desire to be a writer from a young age

- Studying Italian and Spanish at school and university, and never using either of them in her professional life!

- How she found yoga as a respite from injury, exhaustion, anxiety and an eating disorder

- Her early yoga teachers and the mentors she had in her yoga career

- The growth of the yoga industry and how Kathryn has kept her business constant in a time of shifting trends

- Starting a business at 25, and why a lack of fear means starting a business at a young age can be a positive move 

- How a good idea comes from having a lot of ideas, and moving forward with them if you think that's the right thing to do

- Goat yoga!

- The rise of women in yoga, including as teachers, from an ancient tradition of male leaders, and building a feminist angle into her yoga business

- Where the idea for Nothing Much Happens came from and she went about launching the podcast

- Finding a need, and filling it with something quality to build a successful business

- Her evening pre-sleep routine

- Whether the stories are autobiographical and where the ideas come from

- The science of sleep

- What's next for her - the book deal is on the horizon! 

 Where to find Kathryn:

- The Nothing Much Happens website: https://www.nothingmuchhappens.com

- Nothing Much Happens podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/nothing-much-happens-bedtime-stories-for-grown-ups/id1378040733?mt=2 

- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nothingmuchhappenspodcast/ 

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nothingmuchhappenspodcast/   

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Here at Smashing the Ceiling we love to showcase the careers of women who have taken the road less travelled, and there's so much to discuss on that front with today's guest, Anna Lundberg, a woman who has always forged her own path.

She freely admits that she has always been one to keep her options open, choosing the International Baccalaureat instead of 'A' levels, Philosphy, Politics and Economics at uni, and a Masters in Political Science, International Law and International Economics. Her quest to work for the UN didn't quite pan out, and she started her career with Proctor and Gamble, where she spent 7 years, initially in brand management and then the brave new world of digital marketing.

Digital marketing was barely a thing when Anna started at the company in 2007 but taking a leap into a new world led her to places she wouldn't have expected. However, whilst on sabbatical in 2013, she decided there was more out there with her name on. She established her own digital marketing agency in 2014, and whilst freelancing between international jaunts, she took a coaching course in 6 months that was meant to take 2 years.

She now runs One Step Outside, a personal coaching and training companies for ambitious individuals and teams who want to make a difference without sacrificing their health and relationships to do so - so tune in to hear more!   

In this episode we discuss:

• What Anna wanted to be when she grew up

• The various jobs she tried at school, none of which contributed to her future career!

• Her undergraduate studies at Oxford, taking a Masters in Geneva and her unsuccessful attempt to work at the UN

• Starting work at Proctor and Gamble, and breaking into the new sphere of digital marketing

• Realising the disconnect between where she was professionally and where she thought she should be, and starting to think about other options for her career

• Being bold and stepping outside your comfort zone, shrugging off her “Good Girl” mentality

• Quitting your job without another one to go to 

• Starting her new business on her return from her travels, and getting that off the ground

• The ins and outs of running a small business, including lone working from home and the financial insecurity of self-employment 

• Being patient when you’ve started a new venture, and having realistic expectations

• Anna’s “hippy period” (her words, not mine!) and how she ventured into the coaching world

• The concept of One Step Outside and what Anna does now, challenging people to move from ‘comfort’ to ‘growth’

• Why everyone needs a coach! 

•  Her new podcast, “Reimagining Success” and thinking about what you really want from life

Where to find Anna:

• The OneStepOutside website: https://onestepoutside.com
• The Reimagining Success podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/reimagining-success-with-anna-s-e-lundberg/id1444846932?mt=2 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaselundberg/  
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/annaselundberg 

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Today we’re starting a new series on career skills to help you in the workplace which will be periodically slotted in amongst our fantastic guests over the next few months.

This series was inspired when a friend revealed to me not so long ago that she had just negotiated a sizeable pay rise after discovering that as the only female in her team, she was being paid significantly less than her male counterparts. As ever, we discussed the HOW of it all (clearly my real life reflects my podcast life) - how she prepared, how the meeting went and how she drove a successful outcome. After a few drinks, said friend suggested that I do a podcast about negotiation, and that got me thinking about all the other work place dilemmas that crop up so regularly, whatever industry you’re in. So today we will be talking about money, and about NEGOTIATION.

During this episode we'll discuss the 4 P's of negotiation: preparation, practice, positivity and persistence. I'll suggest some things you need to consider, and how to break down a negotiation into manageable chunks to make it a little more bearable, because whatever anyone may say, most of us will find a negotiation quite a stressful experience. 

I mention some advice on negotiation from Sheryl Sandberg's team at Lean In and you can find the videos here: https://leanin.org/negotiation

Other useful resources can be found here:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/shelleyzalis/2018/08/15/get-what-you-want-the-womans-guide-to-negotiation/#45aae01f6545

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kimelsesser/2018/04/24/4-key-strategies-women-need-to-negotiate-a-higher-salary/#745b678815d9

https://www.pon.harvard.edu/freemium/new-negotiation-strategies-for-women-secrets-to-success/ 

 Good luck!

The chances are that aged 15 or 16 you went to do one week of school work experience, and have never given it a second thought since (although my brother ended up with an excellent full-time job from his one week, lucky sod). The chances are also that at least some of you will have day dreamed about careers you'd wished you'd had, or jobs you wished you'd had an opportunity to try out.

But what if you had the option to try 40 different jobs in 40 weeks? This was the opportunity that Bec Fisher curated for herself last year, to coincide with her 40th birthday. Bec had been a primary teacher for nearly 20 years, but since the birth of her two children had been working as a supply and relief teacher on a part time basis. Needing to make the decision about whether to update her qualifications and return to full time teaching, or to consider a complete career change, Bec decided that doing some work experience would be a good option. This idea then...snowballed, shall we say, and the idea for the 4040 Experience was born.

Camel farmer, florist, firefighter, occupational therapist, weaver, photographer, children's entertainer....the list of jobs that Bec teed up for herself goes on! She chats to us about her experiences, including what she learned, how she did it and what the future now holds for her.

Where to find Bec:

Website: http://4040experience.com.au

Instagram: www.instagram.com/4040experience

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/4040experience/ 

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Jamie Jones Coleman is a trauma surgeon. As she puts it, most of what she does is "fixing holes in people", but that massively down-plays the complexity, skill and adrenaline of her job. The bleep goes, the team swings into action, and all hands are on deck to save a life. It sounds thrilling, but Jamie juggles this with being a wife to a former NFL player turned lawyer, a mother to two little boys, an international public speaker, and a writer. She has a successful blog with a readership of over 2 million, and has contributed to the HuffPost and US News. She is open on the challenges a female surgeon faces, the joys and challenges of motherhood and how writing allows her to bring a more creative aspect to her work. 

In this episode we discuss:

- Jamie's upbringing and how her grandmother and other women in her family shaped her education and her goals

- Being a "glorified plumber" (her words, not mine!) and why she enjoys the practical challenge of surgery

- Being a mother and a surgeon, and the struggle of the juggle!

- Why Jamie thinks being a mother makes her a better surgeon 

- The media's pitching of women with children and those without against one another, and why defining women as a stay-at-home-mother or a working mother or a childless woman is potentially harmful

- How she keeps her career fresh and avoids burnout in a job that is incredibly stressful

- Dealing with failure and learning from mistakes

- Women supporting other women in work and beyond

- Her writing, and how that took off initially

Where to find Jamie:

Website: https://jjcolemanmd.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-jones-coleman-258497128/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@JJColemanMD/ 

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Time flies doesn't it?! We've nearly reached the end of 2018, and the usual lists of people that have influenced the year are being published in every newspaper and magazine, along with predictions of the movers and shakers for 2019. We'll be returning with a guest next week, but in the meantime I thought I'd share a few thoughts on women that have influenced the spheres of business, politics, culture and sport this year that you may or may not have heard of, but who are definitely shaping our society one way or another. 

They are....

Sacha Romanovich -  a powerhouse in the City of London who became the first female CEO of a top British accountancy firm when taking the helm at Grant Thornton in 2015. In September an anonymous employee sent a lengthy memo to the press attacking Romanovich's leadership and disclosing details of Sacha’s confidential performance review in a bid to undermine, humiliate and embarrass her. She subsequently resigned in October, and is included here as a symbol of the tenacity, determination and grit required for a woman not just to get to the top but also to stay there. 

https://www.ft.com/content/89f5dcc0-d2e4-11e8-a9f2-7574db66bcd5

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/oct/16/city-female-boss-sacha-romanovitch-grant-thornton

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the monumental rise of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has caught the eye of many people this year, and she is being tipped to be a major force in American politics in the future. Alexandria was born in the Bronx in New York to Puerto Rican parents, and when she takes office on January 3rd 2019 will be the youngest woman ever elected to the House of Representatives as a Congresswoman at the age of just 29. In winning the Democratic nomination she defeated a seasoned politician in Joe Crowley, whose campaign budget was 18 times that of Ocasio-Cortez. She is a community organiser and grassroots politician in a similar vein to Barack Obama and is already being mooted as a future Democratic presidential candidate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_1G4_oPt_o

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/11/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-makes-her-washington-debut/576085/

Farrah Storr - Since taking the helm at Cosmopolitan magazine n 2015, Storr has increased circulation by a whopping 59%. She inherited a massive heritage and a massive team who were very loyal to her predecessor, and nearly 80% of whom resigned within 3 months of her arrival as editor-in-chief. She has shown her resilience though and in addition to the continuing success of the magazine, has made 2018 her year through the publication of her book The Discomfort Zone: How To Get What You Want By Living Fearlessly, which has gone on to huge commercial success. Farrah talks about the loneliness of being a boss, and the pressure created by the myth that women can "have it all", ironically a concept developed and perpetuated by the magazine she now edits. Storr and her husband have made a positive choice not to have children, and speaks eloquently about the peace she feels with their decision, no longer needing to justify herself constantly to others she meets. I love that she talks so openly about this, and that by getting on the front foot she has avoided some of the flak that other powerful and influential women have endured on this. 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cosmpolitans-farrah-storr-can-women-really-have-a-career-and-a-family-k6sb90fts

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/cosmos-farrah-storr-its-lonely-top-cant-just-slot-in/women-in-business/article/1494200

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04kcpVjw89c

Ester Ledecka - Just before Christmas we had our first Olympian on the podcast, and I’ve chosen another Olympic athlete - one from the Winter Olympics this time - as my under-the-radar sporting icon of the year. At the Winter Olympics in South Korea this year, Ester Ledecka caused an enormous sporting upset by winning gold in the Super G skiing. She was ranked 49th in the world, and had never been on the podium before, let alone won a major event. But win gold she did, by 0.01 seconds, on a pair of skis that she had borrowed from another athlete just before the event. The look of absolute pure shock and disbelief on her face, and that of EVERYONE in the crowd was such a moment in sport - I happened to be watching it and it’s one that will certainly stick with me. But what makes this story even more remarkable than a classic underdog upset is that skiing is not Ledecka’s primary sport. That’s snowboarding, and a week later, she went onto comfortably take a second gold medal in the snowboard giant slalom, becoming the first person to ever win 2 Olympic gold medal in two different sports at the same games. What a champion!

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/feb/24/ester-ledecka-seals-status-as-winter-olympics-snow-queen-with-double-gold

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/sports-personality/46385796

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Those of you who listen regularly will know that I am really passionate about sport and that the theme of running (yes, I am one of those annoying people that loves to run) featured in earlier interviews with Nicola Miller, who founded the charity a Mile in her Shoes, and Alexandra Heminsley, whose memoir Running Like A Girl told the story of her first forays into marathon running as a non-sporty woman. 

So much of what I think it is important to encourage is women taking any sort of exercise that they enjoy, increasing participation in varied forms, be that yoga, dance, weight lifting, cycling or anything else in between. But like many others, I am captivated by the Olympics and, particularly following London 2012 which was such a highlight for us here in the UK (people actually made eye contact on the Tube), look forward to the 4 yearly cycle with excitement. I find myself watching and listening - and getting really into - niche sports that I’ve never watched before, like synchronised swimming, archery or judo. 

So I goes without saying that I am REALLY excited to feature our first Olympian on the show today. Donna Fraser was born in Croydon in south west London, competed in the Sydney Olympics in the year 2000, and was a professional athlete for over 20 years. She won Gold in the European Junior Championships, and Bronze at the both the World Championships and Commonwealth Games, competing in the 400m, and ran a sensational 4th at the Olympics against all expectations, knocking over a second off her personal best in the process. 

Donna's career was not all plain sailing though. Following the highs of Sydney she suffered an Achilles tendon injury that forced her out of training and competition for over three years at the peak of her powers, and she has gone on to say that in her heart of hearts, she is convinced she could have been World Champion in 2001 were it not for injury. But it was not to be, and in a further cruel twist, she was subsequently then diagnosed with breast cancer, aged only 36. Donna's positive nature and extreme focus are evident when she talks about her approach to her illness, and I'm pleased to say that she's made a full recovery. She's an ambassador for Breast Cancer Now, and works to educate and support other women going through breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

But unless you're Jess Ennis or Allyson Felix, or another huge name that receives big sponsorship deals it's hard to make a decent living as an athlete, and remarkably, Donna worked throughout her athletic career. She is now the Vice President of UK Athletics, as well as their Equality, Diversity and Engagement Lead, taking a forward-looking approach and driving change within sport to increase accessibility and participation. 

In this episode we discuss:

- Donna's early life and when she knew athletics was a viable career option for her

- Progressing through her career from a junior gold medal at the European Championships to the Olympics in Sydney 2000

- Training with Cathy Freeman and how you prepare for an Olympic Games

- Juggling a job with full time training as a professional athlete 

- Transferable skills that she learned as an athlete that have stood her in good stead in the working world

- The emotional effect of injury on an athlete

- Mental health and retirement of professional sportspeople 

- Her current role with UK Athletics and her role in diversity and inclusion

- Her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, and the work she has subsequently done to raise awareness

Where to find Donna:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnalegz

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DonnaLegz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donnalegz/

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