Leanna sits down with Elaine Benfield, a seasoned professional in the software tech industry with over 25 years of experience. Elaine shares her unique journey balancing a thriving career with motherhood, offering invaluable insights into work-life integration and the power of prioritization. From her early days navigating career choices to finding balance as a working mom, Elaine's story resonates with authenticity and resilience. Leanna and Elaine delve into the challenges faced by working mothers, including the importance of supportive work environments and the impact of female mentorship, as well as making decisions from an empowered position of knowing what matters most to you.

More inspiring stories can be found on Elaine’s podcast Herstories.

Full transcript available here.

Connect with Leanna here.

Connect with Elaine here.

Leanna welcomes Sloan Echavarria, also known as “Sloan The Beast,” a successful entrepreneur running multiple businesses, mom of four, and chaos coach. Sloan shares her journey of embracing a life full of excitement and adventure, challenging the traditional suburban lifestyle. As a chaos coach, Sloan helps women navigate the delicate balance between motherhood and entrepreneurship, crafting intentional work-life harmony tailored to individual family dynamics. With a bustling household, multiple businesses, and an off-grid RV lifestyle, Sloan reveals her strategies for managing it all. She shares her strategy of prioritizing tasks through delegation, batching, and elimination. Sloan’s insights are a testament to the power of embracing chaos, nurturing family bonds, and designing a life that resonates with purpose and fulfillment.

Full transcript available here.

Connect with Leanna here.

Connect with Sloan here.

Leanna is joined by award winning IT leader and gender bias researcher, Amy Diehl, to shed light on the gender biases and challenges that women face in leadership, emphasizing the disproportionate impact of work-life conflicts on women in the workplace. Through discussions on gender barriers, including dismissal of ideas and diminishment, Amy reveals the systemic issues hindering women's advancement in the workplace. Drawing from personal stories and Amy’s qualitative research, Leanna and Amy explore how gender biases intersect with other identity factors such as age and parental status, leading to criticism and barriers to advancement. Through the lens of societal forces and systemic biases, the conversation highlights the complex dynamics of gender inequality in professional settings. Amy offers insights from her recently published book, Glass Walls, co-authored by Leanne Dzubinski, sharing strategies to navigate and challenge gender biases, including calling out discrimination, building support networks, and exploring alternative career paths when necessary.

Full transcript available here.

Connect with Leanna here.

Connect with Amy here.

In this educational episode, Leanna is joined by her sister, Laura Laskey, as they delve into the complex and evolving historical landscape of women's rights. The discussion explores pivotal moments such as the ratification of the 19th Amendment in the United States in 1920, marking a significant milestone in the quest for gender equality. Moving through the decades, they navigate the ebbs and flows of progress, acknowledging the challenges and triumphs that shaped the narrative of women's rights. From the Women's Liberation Movement to landmark legislation like Title IX, the conversation uncovers the foundations that paved the way for greater gender equality in education, the workplace, and beyond. They also discuss contemporary challenges, celebrating achievements while recognizing the ongoing global struggle for truly equal rights. Join them as they reflect on the strides made and the road that lies ahead.

Full transcript available here.

Connect with Leanna here.

Re-visit previous episodes with Laura: Unboxing Barbie and Holiday Burnout

This episode delves into the common self-reflective questions we often ask ourselves, such as "Am I doing it right?" and "Did I make the right decision?", while exploring the subjective nature of right or wrong. The episode addresses the tendency to second-guess decisions and the societal conditioning that leads many to believe they are not good at making decisions. Through real-life examples, Leanna discusses how individuals often internalize external situations, assuming they are doing something wrong. The importance of questioning these beliefs and choosing thoughts that serve personal well-being is emphasized, encouraging listeners to harness the power of self-authoring one's own journey.

Full transcript available here.

Connect with Leanna here.

Re-visit Episode 2.

In this episode, Leanna explores how overwhelm often precedes burnout, especially for high achievers. She delves into common responses to overwhelm, such as pushing forward without pause, withdrawing or escaping, and feeling paralyzed or stuck. Leanna emphasizes the importance of recognizing and acknowledging overwhelm as a normal part of the human experience, suggesting practical strategies for navigating it, including thought work, self-compassion, and the therapeutic practice of writing to release the burden of racing thoughts.

Full transcript available here.

Connect with Leanna here.

In episode 31 of The Executive Coach for Moms Podcast, host Leanna Laskey discusses how the concept of “all or nothing” thinking can impact various aspects of life, from career expectations and parenting to goal setting and friendships. She highlights the limitations of this binary thinking and encourages listeners to embrace the gray areas, recognizing that excellence doesn't always require perfection. The episode provides valuable perspectives on self-care, decision-making, identity, and the challenges high achievers face when getting stuck in this way of thinking. Leanna offers practical insights for finding balance and joy amid the complexities of being a leader both at work and at home.

Full transcript available here.

Connect with Leanna here.

Check out the episodes where all or nothing thinking has shown up:

Episode 30

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 4

Episode 5

Episode 6

Episode 14

Episode 19

Episode 21

Episode 22

Episode 26

Episode 29

In today’s episode, Leanna dives into the self-coaching model, where she talks about how our thoughts shape our reality. She explains that our brains are meaning-making machines, turning neutral events into thoughts that can either empower or hinder us. Whether it's an email from the boss or a big life change, our interpretations of these events can profoundly impact our feelings and actions, and ultimately, our results.

Leanna emphasizes that we often assume our thoughts are facts without questioning them. But she urges listeners to challenge these thoughts, especially the negative ones that might be holding them back. She shares stories of how lingering negative feedback or self-doubt can affect our confidence and performance, even long after the initial event.

The episode wraps up with Leanna offering some thought-provoking questions for listeners to ponder. She encourages them to reflect on their own thought patterns and consider which ones might need a little tweaking to lead to more positive outcomes.

Full transcript available here.

Learn more about Leanna here.

In this episode of "Executive Coach for Moms", host Leanna Laskey McGrath reflects on the challenges of balancing independence and the need for help. Leanna discusses the societal emphasis on self-sufficiency and the impact it has on authentic connections. She explores the fear and resistance associated with asking for help, revealing how it can hinder meaningful relationships. Leanna delves into the concept of shedding the armor of self-sufficiency. Leanna shares her personal struggles and invites listeners to reflect on their own experiences with vulnerability.

Full transcript available here.

Connect with Leanna here.

Listen to the We Can Do Hard Things podcast episode.

Listen to Brene Brown’s take on armor on the Tim Ferriss Show.

In this week's episode, Leanna discusses the practice of "shoulding" ourselves—believing we should be different, do more, or already know certain things—which is so common for high achieving women. She explores the reasons behind this mindset, such as high expectations, fear of public failure, and comparison. Leanna highlights the negative consequences of constantly feeling like we should be somewhere else and provides practical strategies for overcoming this mindset. She encourages the practice of curiosity, acceptance, reframing language, and finding purpose and enjoyment in the learning process. As with many other topics, Leanna encourages awareness and self-reflection, urging listeners to notice and question their "should" thoughts.

Full transcript available here.

Learn more about Leanna here.