The Female CEO™ Podcast

Discover why high performance is a biological state, not just willpower, and how Female CEOs can avoid burnout by leading from presence. In this episode, we sit down with Stef Mandirola, a former aerospace COO who traded the high-stakes world of multi-million pound global operations for the disciplined path of Zen.

As the founder of HASU, Stef bridges the gap between centuries-old Japanese tradition and modern stress physiology. We dive into:

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  The Corporate Trench to Zen: Stef’s personal battle with burnout and how it led her to coach executive teams to perform from a state of presence rather than pressure.

  
  

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  Challenging "Push Through" Culture: Why relying on willpower is a biological dead end and how to tap into your natural physiology for sustainable success.

  
  

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  The Discipline of Presence: Practical insights into moving away from reactive leadership and toward a centered, high-performance state.

  
  

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  Prevention over Cure: Understanding the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) score and how early life conditioning can unknowingly drive us toward adult burnout.

  
  

Whether you are navigating the pressures of the boardroom or looking to reclaim your energy, Stef’s "Surface to Soul" approach offers a masterclass in performing at your peak without sacrificing your well-being.

Are you leading with authority or awareness? Join us as behavioral expert Lotta Spjut explains how the relationship with our dogs can transform our executive presence. Discover how to identify your triggers, set firm boundaries with empathy, and lead from a place of regulated power.

As the founder of Lotta Dog PT, Lotta uses a powerful framework of behavioral science and emotional intelligence to prove that leadership isn't about dominance, it's about relational safety. We dive into:

• The Mirror at the End of the Leash: How our dogs (and our teams) react to our internal energy and why self-regulation is the first step to being a better leader.

• Moving Beyond Dominance: Why the "Alpha" mindset is outdated and how to build trust through consistency, awareness, and emotional safety.

• The "Lead Yourself First" Principle: Why you cannot effectively lead another being—human or canine—until you have mastered the ability to lead your own emotional state.

• Triggers and Boundaries: Practical ways to recognize when you are becoming reactive and how to reset your presence to maintain a "calm-assertive" leadership style.

Whether you are navigating high-stakes business decisions or simply trying to improve the bond with your four-legged companion, Lotta’s insights offer a masterclass in the science of connection and the art of presence.

Connect with Lotta Spjut:

• Website: www.lottaspjut.com

• Instagram & Facebook: @lottaspjutbusiness

What if the secret to sustainable leadership isn't more 'hustle,' but a balance of three specific energies? In this episode, Angelica Umali breaks down The Trinity of Conscious Leadership - Power, Love, and Light - and how female CEOs can use them to find deeper purpose and avoid the burnout of ego-driven success.

In a corporate world often driven by relentless hustle, short-term profits, and "intellect overdose," Angelica Umali is advocating for a more profound way to lead. As a visionary mentor and founder of the House of Wisdom, Angelica joins host Mark Sephton to discuss her unique curriculum designed to help high-achievers move beyond the surface-level grind.

In this episode, we explore:

• The Symptoms of Systemic Failure: Why prioritizing the bottom line at the expense of human needs leads to burnout, anxiety, and a disconnect from personal fulfillment.

  
  

• The Five Levels of Ascending Intelligence: Moving beyond traditional logic to tap into gut, heart, detailed, abstract, and spiritual intelligence.

  
  

• The Trinity of Power, Love, and Light: How female leaders can find a "sweet will" that balances strength with compassion and vision.

  
  

• The Five Levels of Health: Why mastering your physical, vitality, emotional, mental, and spiritual health is the ultimate barometer for sustainable success.

  
  

• Self-Mastery as a Legacy: Understanding that "change starts from within" and how evolving your own energy creates ripples that transform your organization.

  
  

• Soul Purpose vs. Work Purpose: Angelica shares her personal "dark night of the soul" and how it led her to discover a mission centered on growing the Higher Self.

  
  

Join us for a deep dive into the Balanced Life Strategy Program and learn how to align your success with a more fulfilled, purposeful life.

Connect with Angelica Umali:

• LinkedIn: Angelica Umali

Can you build a global empire on a “Huggable Business Model”? In this episode, we sit down with Donna Loughlin, the "Architect of Visibility" and the powerhouse behind over 500 successful launches in the world’s most competitive tech hub.

As the founder and CEO of LMGPR, Donna reveals why authenticity is the bedrock of growth, how she uses her pilot’s mindset to navigate business turbulence, and why, even in the heart of Silicon Valley, connection remains the most valuable currency a leader can hold. We dive into:

• The Storyteller’s Edge: How Donna transitioned from a background in journalism to becoming a master architect of visibility for some of the most innovative companies in the world.

• The "Co-Pilot" Philosophy: Why every leader needs a co-pilot to navigate the "altitude" of business and the importance of checking in on your team’s well-being.

• Beyond the Staged Walkthrough: A candid look at why leadership should move away from curated appearances and toward real, collaborative, and forthright conversations.

• The Currency of Networks: Why building a global movement requires more than just a bold idea—it requires a deep commitment to the people and the "win-win" in every partnership.

Whether you are launching a startup or looking to scale your personal brand, Donna’s insights offer a masterclass in staying human while achieving global impact.

Connect with Donna Loughlin:

• Website: www.lmgpr.com

What happens when a human right feels like a "legal minimum"? After a lifetime of navigating a world not built for her, Tara Mackings BEM stopped advocating for change and started architecting it.

In this episode, we explore the tenacity, the mission, and the massive social impact of moving from "token" accessibility to meaningful inclusion.

Tara shares her journey from living with cerebral palsy to founding Tailored Leisure, a social enterprise—and now charity—born from the frustration of inaccessible holidays and fitness. We dive into:

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  The Lightbulb Moment: How a simple homeschooling game with her son during lockdown exploded into a fitness program reaching hundreds of people globally.

  
  

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  Beyond the "Tick Box": Why accessibility isn't just about ramps, but about changing the culture within businesses to see ability over disability.

  
  

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  Building a Legacy: From accessible glamping and community hubs to her "Access Champions" who help commercial businesses audit their premises.

  
  

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  The Power of Lived Experience: The emotional reality of providing a first-ever holiday for families who have been historically excluded from leisure.

  
  

Whether you are a business leader looking to be more inclusive or someone fueled by social enterprise, Tara’s story is a masterclass in turning personal friction into a "centre of excellence" for others.

Connect with Tara Mackings & Tailored Leisure:

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  Website: www.tailoredleisure.co.uk 

Are you leading from a place of 'intellectual overdose'? In this episode, distinguished neuroscientist and therapist Dr. Selen Atasoy reveals why logic and relentless drive often lead to a profound internal disconnect, and how you can use the science of 'Connectome Harmonics' to reclaim your inner sovereignty and lead with organic, instinctive power.

In this episode of The Female CEO Podcast, host Mark Sephton welcomes Dr. Selen Atasoy, a distinguished neuroscientist (formerly of Oxford and Imperial College London) and the creator of Connectome Harmonics. Despite her massive academic success, Selen realized that intellectual mastery isn't the same as inner peace. Today, she helps high-achieving women move beyond intellectual exhaustion to reclaim their "inner sovereignty."

Through her platform, MeTruely, Selen empowers leaders to lead from a state of neural and emotional harmony rather than constant stress and burnout.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Science of Harmony: Understanding Connectome Harmonics and how brain activity patterns influence our emotional state.

• Beyond Intellectual Exhaustion: Why high-achievers often feel empty despite their success and how to bridge the gap between the mind and the heart.

• Peeling the Onion: Selen’s personal journey of authenticity and why she believes the journey to the "true self" is never really over.

• Inner Sovereignty: What it means to lead yourself first before you attempt to lead others or society.

• The MeTruely Philosophy: How to use neural harmony to become a more effective, grounded leader.

If you are a high-performer who feels "stuck in your head," this conversation offers a scientific and soulful roadmap back to your center.

Connect with Dr. Selen Atasoy:

• Website: selenatasoy.com

• Platform: metruely.com (MeTruly)

Subscribe to The Female CEO Podcast for more insights into the "Create, Evolve, and Overcome" journeys of world-changing women.

Have you reached the top of the professional ladder only to feel strangely empty? In this episode, we sit down with existential career counselor Britt Mari Sykes to dismantle the 'business model' of careers.

We’re diving deep into why the linear path is a myth, how to navigate professional 'existential awakenings,' and why you should stop climbing and start creating a 'career life' that actually feeds your soul. If you’re a high-achieving woman feeling disconnected from your success, this conversation is the permission slip you’ve been waiting for to rethink everything.

In this episode of The Female CEO Podcast, host Mark Sephton welcomes Britt-Mari Sykes, a career counsellor, researcher, and the founder of Canvas Career Counselling. Britt-Mari is disrupting the traditional career coaching industry by moving beyond skills, resumes, and standard ambitions. Instead, she invites us to view our professional journeys through an existential lens.

With a background in psychology and academia, Britt-Mari helps individuals navigate the "existential search" for meaning in their work. Today, she shares how to stop being driven by external expectations and start building a professional life that resonates with the human experience.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Existential Career: Why looking inward is the most important step in professional development.

• Overcoming Ambition-Burnout: How to transition from being driven by "what you can do" to "who you are becoming."

• The Philosophy of Work: How Britt-Mari’s academic background in philosophy shapes her unique "Career Canvas" approach.

• Internal vs. External Success: Understanding why big "outward" achievements often feel empty without internal alignment.

• Creating, Evolving, and Overcoming: Britt-Mari shares her own transition from academia to entrepreneurship.

If you feel stuck in a career that looks good on paper but feels disconnected from your soul, this conversation is the wake-up call you need.

Connect with Britt-Mari Sykes:

• Website: mycareercanvas.co

• Explore articles and interviews at Canvas Career Counseling.

Subscribe to The Female CEO Podcast to explore the "Create, Evolve, and Overcome" journeys of visionary women.

Is your identity so tied to your title that you’ve forgotten who you are without it? In this episode, award-winning psychotherapist Babita Spinelli joins us to pull back the curtain on "The Anatomy of Burnout" and explains why your 2 AM wake-up calls are actually a cry for a new kind of leadership.

In this powerful episode, host Mark Sephton sits down with Babita Spinelli, LP, a globally recognized psychotherapist, relationship expert, and former Wall Street executive. Babita operates at the powerful intersection of high-level leadership and deep psychological well-being, helping C-suite executives and founders move beyond "high performance" to truly aligned and meaningful success.

Together, they pull back the curtain on the internal pressures that often haunt high achievers. From the "perfectionist's mask" to the early warning signs of burnout, Babita shares how leaders can reclaim their "inner sovereignty" and lead with clarity and mental strength.

In this episode, we explore:

• The Perfectionist’s Mask: The difference between "healthy" and "unhealthy" perfectionism and why the drive for perfection can be dangerous for company culture.

  
  

• The Burnout Red Flags: Why burnout is often rooted in our internal relationship with work rather than just long hours.

  
  

• Authentic Ambition vs. Performative Pressure: How female CEOs can distinguish between their true values and the external pressure to constantly "prove" their worth.

  
  

• Cognitive Clarity: Practical steps for leaders to protect their decision-making when facing intense cognitive overload.

  
  

• Identity Beyond Output: Why high achievers struggle to slow down and how to reconnect with who you are when you aren't being "useful."

  
  

Whether you are navigating the demands of the C-suite or looking to strengthen your emotional resilience, this conversation is a masterclass in leading with intention and humanity.

Connect with Babita Spinelli:

• Website: babitaspinelli.com

  
  

• Practice: openingthedoorpsychotherapy.com

  
  

Follow The Female CEO Podcast to hear more stories of women who are redefining leadership and overcoming the mental demands of operating at the top.

Stop managing symptoms and start regulating the system. In this episode, Carmen Stoffel breaks down the blueprint for co-regulation, neurodivergent parenting, and why self-regulation is the ultimate power move for female CEOs.

In this episode of The Female CEO Podcast, host Mark Sephton sits down with Carmen Stoffel, founder of the Institute for Core Regulation. Carmen is a pioneer in shifting the parenting paradigm from "managing behavior" to "supporting the nervous system."

After navigating her own challenging parenting journey, Carmen realized that what we often label as "bad behavior" is actually a physiological response to stress and dysregulation. Today, she helps families move beneath the surface to create environments of safety, connection, and true balance.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Beyond Behavior: Why traditional discipline often fails and what it means to look at the nervous system first.

• The Parenting Mirror: How a parent’s own regulation (or lack thereof) directly impacts their child’s ability to stay calm.

• The "Normalcy" Trap: A candid look at the diagnosis process and why "neurodivergent" vs. "normal" is often a subjective line.

• Practical Regulation: Simple, science-backed ways to restore safety within the body when a child (or parent) is spiraling.

• The Mission of Core Regulation: How Carmen’s Institute is providing a lifeline to parents who feel stuck and frustrated.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re just "surviving" your child’s meltdowns, this conversation will give you the tools to start thriving as a family again.

Connect with Carmen Stoffel:

• Website: http://www.institut-kernregulation.ch/

• Explore the Institute for Core Regulation’s resources for families.

What if your greatest trauma was actually your greatest leadership asset? Annyx Day joins us to share her incredible journey from being a police officer surviving a shooting to helping female leaders heal. Discover why the key to authentic power isn't hiding your past, but learning to lead from your scars rather than your wounds.

Annyx opens up about her past as a police officer and the life-altering experience of surviving a shooting. She explains how that moment of adversity became the foundation for her work today, helping others find their worth and live the life they were meant to live.

Key Takeaways from this Episode:

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  The "Noise" vs. The Core: Learn how to block out external pressure to find out who you truly are and what you are good at.

  
  

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  Healing to Lead: Why leading from "scars" rather than "wounds" allows for authentic connection and authority.

  
  

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  The Power of Purpose: Annyx shares how she helps clients who feel "stumped" by their own identity to rebuild and find their inner light.

  
  

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  Mindset Shifts: Discover why enjoying every single day is a vital part of the leadership journey.