The Female Insight Zone

How do we change the culture of business to value both masculine and feminine attributes? How do we learn to recognize the unconscious bias that fuels inequality? Betty-Ann Heggie contends that mentorship and open dialogue are key first steps in understanding gender dynamics in the workplace and overcoming our subconscious conditioning.

Heggie is a speaker, author and mentor in the realm of gender physics, the study of masculine and feminine energy present in each of us. A widely recognized thought leader, Heggie’s work on gender dynamics has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Inc. Magazine and Huffington Post, and she has been inducted into the Hall of Fame of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women. Heggie is committed to helping men and women make progress together in the modern workplace, and she is the author of Gender Physics: Unlock the Energy You Never Knew You Had to Get the Results You Want. Today, Heggie describes the subconscious bias that informs our expectations of how men and women should act and explains how it makes impacts who we see as leaders in the workplace. She offers insight around making the conscious effort to overcome such conditioning, suggesting conversation and calling out inequality as the first steps in creating change. Listen in for Heggie’s advice on building relationships with potential mentors, both male and female, and learn how to look at mentorship as being open for growth. Key Interview Takeaways Subconscious bias informs our expectations around how men and women should act. We tend to associate the skills of leadership with masculine traits like independence and self-sufficiency, and female leaders have to cloak those characteristics in feminine skills to be liked and accepted.

Initiating the conversation is the first step in changing the culture of business. Women need both male and female mentors to navigate the workplace, and when men fail to treat their female colleagues as equals, we need to call them out on it. We must make a conscious effort to overcome conditioning and take baby steps forward together.

Build relationships with potential mentors before you ask for their time. Professional women are particularly busy, so start by inviting them to coffee. Let them know that you admire their achievements and value their opinions—and see where it goes. Mentorship means being open for growth. If you are struggling to find the right mentor, look to other resources. President Lincoln, for example, leveraged reading to learn about military leadership during the Civil War. Consider formal programs in which prospective mentors have already volunteered their time. Explore your local Chamber of Commerce and online communities like Lean In for established mentorship programs. Heggie also suggests reaching out to people you admire on social platforms like LinkedIn. Connect with Betty-Ann Heggie Betty-Ann Heggie’s WebsiteBetty-Ann Heggie on FacebookBetty-Ann Heggie on Twitter Resources Gender Physics: Unlock the Energy You Never Knew You Had to Get the Results You Want by Betty-Ann Heggie“Analysis of Human Brain Structure Reveals that the Brain ‘Types’ Typical of Males Are Also Typical of Females, and Vice Versa” in Frontiers in Human NeuroscienceLean InLean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg 

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We know that exceptional team members contribute to the success of a team. And yet, it takes more than a group of superstars to win a championship. How do you get people to put the team first? How do you create chemistry among players? How do you build a winning team that plays for each other, either on the field or in the workplace?

Kristine Lilly served as a midfielder on the US Women’s Soccer Team through five FIFA World Cups and three Olympic games. A member of both the US Olympic Hall of Fame and US Soccer Hall of Fame, Lilly is an expert on effective teamwork. Dr. Lynette Gillis specializes in corporate strategy and organizational behavior, serving Concordia University in the roles of professor, Dean of the College of Business and Associate Provost. Lilly and Dr. Gillis are also the coauthors of Powerhouse Teams: 13 Teamwork Tactics that Build Excellence and Unrivaled Success.  Today, Lilly and Dr. Gillis discuss how the characteristics of powerhouse teams translate from the playing field to the workplace. Lilly shares some of the factors that made the 1999 US Women’s National Soccer Team successful, explaining how they built a winning mentality and put their egos aside for the betterment of the group as a whole. Listen in for insight around how leaders can unite a team with a big vision and learn how the opportunity to advance the game of soccer for women and girls inspired Lilly’s team to win big!

Key Interview Takeaways

Powerhouse teams share the same characteristics, regardless of setting. The 1999 Women’s National Soccer Team provides a model for excellence in teamwork that translates to any organization; the players exhibited trust, friendship, reliance on each other and a sense of resilience.

A strong leader unites their team with a big vision. Lilly credits Coach Anson Dorrance with teaching the team to play for each other and inspiring them to go beyond winning to ‘sell the game of soccer.’

For a team to excel, team members must put their egos aside. Lilly’s team was successful because the players accepted each other’s differences and bought into the idea that it’s not about the individual, it’s about the team. Team chemistry is created by a center set. Teams that work well together are united by a common draw. For Lilly’s team, the players all bought into the mission of advancing the game of soccer for women and girls—and winning!

Powerhouse teams build a winning mentality. Lilly and her teammates worked with a mental skills coach on imagery and intention, developing practices that helped players focus on what they needed to do on the field.

Connect with Kristine Lilly & Dr. Lynette Gillis Kristine Lilly’s WebsiteKristine Lilly on TwitterKristine Lilly on LinkedInLeadershipXDr. Lynette Gillis on TwitterDr. Lynette Gillis on LinkedIn

Resources Powerhouse: 13 Teamwork Tactics that Build Excellence and Unrivaled Success by Kristine Lilly and Dr. John Gillis Jr. with Dr. Lynette GillisAnson DorranceTony DiCiccoDr. Colleen Hacker

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Corporate culture is creating an epidemic of loneliness. As humans, we are wired for community, yet most workplaces disregard this need for connection and leave us feeling isolated. How can we, as individuals and organizations, build social bonds and foster collaboration? How can we establish a balance between masculine and feminine energy to promote a sense of belonging AND improve the bottom line?

Dr. Barbara Cox is a psychologist, coach and author who explores the power of the feminine archetype to build community, cultivate intuition and create lasting, positive change in organizations. Her work has appeared on NBC News, Euro News and MSN, among many other national media outlets, and Dr. Cox was a featured speaker at UNESCO’s 2018 World Congress for the Organization of World Heritage Cities. She is also the author of The Muse Process: Unleashing the Power of the Feminine for Success and Fulfillment.

Today, Dr. Cox explains how our bodies are wired to be in community, encouraging us to build in time each day to connect with friends and colleagues. She offers insight around developing an awareness of the times you DO feel like you fit in and finding one or two people you resonate with in any given situation. Listen in for Dr. Cox’s advice on tuning in to the wealth of information your body can provide and learn how to activate your own inner success muse! Key Interview Takeaways Our bodies are wired to be in community. Humans have evolved to live and work in groups, and when we feel disconnected, we don’t perform as well—and that impacts the bottom line.

Build in time to connect with friends and colleagues. Dr. Cox argues that if you’re feeling isolated, others are too, and she encourages individuals and organizations to devote at least five minutes each day to social activity.

Be aware of when you DO feel like you fit in. Dr. Cox encourages us to bring attention to the moments when we feel connected and cultivate those relationships. In one case, a client improved her sales numbers 106% by leveraging this advice. Activate your inner success muse. Get in touch with your holistic, right brain to foster creativity and access your subconscious mind. Give yourself the validation to fit in anywhere. Dr. Cox believes that you can feel a sense of belonging in any situation once you realize that fitting in is a state of mind and commit to finding at least one or two people you resonate with.  Get in tune with your mind-body system. Most of us operate from the neck up, dismissing the intelligence of our bodies. Dr. Cox contends that if you listen to the signals, your body will tell you who to connect with and who to avoid. Connect with Dr. Barbara Cox Dr. Cox’s WebsiteThe Muse Process on Facebook Resources The Muse Process: Unleashing the Power of the Feminine for Success and Fulfillment by Dr. Barbara Cox 

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What is the secret to creating a successful personal brand? How do you make yourself memorable? Why do you need to share your WHY? What role does content marketing play in helping you connect with potential clients?

Claire Akin is the founder of Indigo Marketing, a firm dedicated to helping financial advisors and third-party administrators grow their business. Prior to starting her own venture, Akin served as an Investment Advisor at Thomas J. Dobransky & Associates, and she earned her BA in economics from UC Davis and her MBA in marketing at UC San Diego. Akin is also the author of the popular book, The LinkedIn Guide for Financial Advisors: Six Steps to Identify Qualified Prospects and Generate Referrals.

Today, Akin explains how she made the decision to start her own firm, describing how she created offerings around client needs. She also offers insight into running a business, discussing the importance of focusing on metrics that drive success and outsourcing everything you can. Listen in for Akin’s advice on creating a memorable personal brand and learn how she balances career and family through strong routines and accountability partners.

Key Interview Takeaways

The riches are in the niches. Akin’s side project, the Fiddle Leaf Fig Plant Resource Center, has eclipsed her primary business in terms of revenue by establishing her as the go-to expert in that specialty.

Focus on the metrics that drive success. Looking at her numbers (site visitors, webinar registrations, sales calls, etc.) on a weekly basis keeps Akin honest about the performance of her business.

Outsource everything you can. Build a talented team and delegate anything that is not a good use of your time.

Create memorable branding and tell your personal story. Make it easy for people to remember you and explain why you are passionate about what you do.

The secret to content marketing is consistency. Akin’s weekly blog posts keep her top-of-mind with financial advisors and drive her business. She contends that you should give away 90% of what you know about a subject in the spirit of helping people.

To balance career and family, develop strong routines. Akin builds time into her day to get specific things done, and she outsources accountability to experts such as a business coach and personal trainer.

Connect with Claire Akin

Indigo Marketing Agency

Indigo Marketing on Facebook

Claire on LinkedIn

Claire on Twitter

Fiddle Leaf Fig Plant Resource Center

Resources

The Fiddle Leaf Fig Expert: Your Guide to Growing Healthy Ficus Lyrata Plants by Claire Akin

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek

The LinkedIn Guide for Financial Advisors by Claire Akin

The 2016 LinkedIn Guide for Financial Advisors by Claire Akin

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Tevis Trower is the founder and CEO of Balance Integration, a consulting firm dedicated to humanizing the work experience. Trower is a pioneer in the realm of cultural transformation, leveraging her expertise in mindfulness, leadership development and employee engagement to create an environment where people feel valued and in turn, develop a commitment to the organization’s goals. Balance Integration boasts a client list that includes heavy-hitters like Disney and Morgan Stanley, and Trower’s work has been featured in Forbes, Fortune and Business Week, among many other media outlets.

Today, Trower explains why we cannot change work culture with policy statements, describing how leaders must move beyond proclamations around bringing the whole self to work and truly embody the authenticity they value. She also explores the idea of employee engagement, discussing the mistake leaders make in driving performance rather than engagement and outsourcing it as a problem to solve rather than a behavior to model. Listen in for Trower’s insight on the significance of leadership alignment and learn how you can foster a new sense of possibility in an organization at large.

Key Interview Takeaways

We cannot change work culture with policy statements. To truly shift the environment in an organization, we must go beyond proclamations and take our powerful mission and values statements to heart.

Code switching implies a fear of being authentic at work. Trower points out that bringing our whole selves to work serves as an elixir, while the fear of being ourselves creates an environment where we must conform in order to feel safe.

Leaders must role model authenticity in the workplace. If there’s a satisfaction gap in what you get out of work, then there is a contribution gap in what you’re bringing to work, and Trower suggests that the authenticity in organizations begins with the leaders’ willingness to show up as ‘more human.’

Engagement is not a problem to solve. Corporate leadership tends to focus on driving performance, while they outsource engagement to someone else in the organization. Trower argues that to engage employees, leaders need to see engagement as a behavior to model.

Leadership alignment enables cultural empowerment. When the C-suite works to close the gap between what they want to create and what they are manifesting now, such a shift creates a new sense of possibility in the organization at large.

Connect with Tevis Trower

Balance Integration

Balance Integration on LinkedIn

Balance Integration on Instagram

Balance Integration on Facebook

Tevis on Twitter

Resources

C-Suite Sessions

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The confidence you gain from incorporating healthy habits translates far beyond the gym. When you are working out, eating well and getting restorative sleep, you experience a total transformation that improves your performance in every area of life. So, what are the first steps to making health and fitness a priority? What strategies can you use to stay on track, making tangible progress toward your wellness goals? And what is the best approach to finding a nutrition plan that’s healthy for you?

Becka Nieder is the founder of Becka’s Boot Camp, a small group, circuit-style training program based in Chicago. Nieder offers clients individualized attention and every class includes a total body workout with a focus on functional movement. She received her BS in Physical and Dance Education from Northern Illinois University and a certification in Personal Training and Nutrition from the National Personal Training Institute. Nieder is also the creator of The Health & Fitness Journal, a system for tracking workouts, nutrition and progress toward goals along your wellness journey.

Today, Nieder discusses why it’s important to set actionable health goals that go beyond a number on the scale. She shares the power of accountability partners to help you stay on track and offers insight on using a health and fitness journal to gain an awareness of what you are eating—and why. Listen in for Nieder’s advice on finding the best nutrition plan for YOU and learn how tracking your exercise, water intake, nutrition and sleep can support you in improving your habits and overall health!

Key Interview Takeaways

Set holistic health goals that go beyond a number on the scale. Rather than focusing on attaining a certain weight, for example, Nieder suggests taking actionable steps to improve your endurance, strength, nutrition and sleep habits.

Stay on track with accountability partners. Nieder leverages small group training to build in a community of accountability. She also suggests posting your goals as a visible reminder.

Improving nutrition habits begins with awareness. Nieder encourages clients to write down what they are eating and how they feel at the time. This strategy helps you recognize patterns and understand exactly how close you are to healthy.

Elimination diets are one way to figure out what’s healthy for YOU. Diets like the Whole30 or Plant Paradox require you to restrict what you are eating in the beginning—and then slowly add things back in to determine what foods are best for you.

Connect with Becka Nieder

Becka’s Boot Camp

Becka on Twitter

Becka on Facebook

Becka on Instagram

Becka on YouTube

Resources

Becka’s Health & Fitness Journal

Becka’s Blog

Whole30

Plant Paradox

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It is naïve to think that gender bias is no longer an issue in the workplace. In fact, we ALL have stereotypes that we carry with us to work, and women often face the frustration of being at a disadvantage based on assumptions that have nothing to do with our actual ability to do a given job. So, how do we overcome these biases to achieve at a high level?

Andie Kramer is an accomplished attorney, author and advocate for women in the workplace. Kramer served as founding chair of her law firm’s gender diversity committee and cofounded the Women’s Leadership and Mentoring Alliance to address the limited mentorship opportunities for young executive and professional women. A recognized authority in the realm of gender communication and women’s advancement, Kramer was named one of the 50 Most Influential Women Lawyers in America. She is also the coauthor of Breaking Through Bias: Communication Techniques for Women to Succeed at Work and the forthcoming It’s Not You, It’s the Workplace: Women’s Conflict at Work and the Bias that Built It.

Today, Kramer shares her approach to addressing biases and stereotypes in the workplace. She explains why the first step in breaking through bias involves a conversation with yourself and offers insight around the impact of nonverbal communication and language patterns in your communication with others. Listen in for Kramer’s take on why women hold C-suite female colleagues to a different standard than senior men in the organization and learn how to navigate the assumptions and gender biases we all bring to work.

Key Interview Takeaways

When facing stereotypes and biases in the workplace, avoid confrontation—but allow people to learn. Kramer suggests addressing such assumptions with humor when possible and discussing truly inappropriate behavior in private.

The first step in breaking through bias involves a conversation with yourself. Women must think through strategies for developing a coping sense of humor, demonstrating confidence and competence, and learning not to take the world too seriously.

Pay attention to nonverbal communication as well as language patterns. Women tend to preface our thoughts with phrases like I’m sorry or This may be a dumb idea, but… Kramer argues that such language patterns diminish the power of the statement that follows.

Women tend to hold C-suite female colleagues to a different standard than senior men in an organization. We perceive female colleagues as cold or unfeeling, even when they are treating us the same way the men treat us. Kramer believes that gendered workplaces and our own biases about how women should act contribute to this phenomenon.

Develop the strength to address being interrupted. The assumption that women won’t add value means that we’re often talked over in meetings and on conference calls. Kramer recommends diplomatically saying, “Allow me to finish my point, and I’ll pass it over to you when I’m finished.”

Connect with Andie Kramer

Andie and Al

Resources

Breaking Through Bias: Communication Techniques for Women to Succeed at Work by Andrea S. Kramer and Alton B. Harris

It’s Not You, It’s the Workplace: Women’s Conflict at Work and the Bias that Built It by Andrea S. Kramer and Alton B. Harris

Andie & Al’s Gender Bias Assessment

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Does the availability of big data truly give rise to better business decisions? Tabitha Laser argues that the answer is no. In fact, she believes that we get too focused on a single silo and make choices that increase risk in other areas. And this failure to learn is just one of the organizational culture killers that makes the modern workplace so dismal.

Tabitha Laser is the CEL of TA Laser Consulting, a firm that collaborates with business leaders and industry organizations to reduce risks, support cultural improvements, and maintain sustainable growth. She has worked to build and/or fix management systems for industry giants including Shell, BP, 3M and the US Department of Defense, among many others. Laser is sharing the lessons learned in her 25 years of operations and consulting experience in the new book series, Organizational Culture Killers: How Leaders Build Cultures of Success.

Today, Laser describes how seeing the same issues over and over in her work in management systems led to the creation of her book series. She explains how each volume serves as a guide to help the next generation of leaders avoid organizational culture killers, discussing how Deadly Expectations explores our failure to learn from past mistakes. Listen in for Laser’s insight on how extreme focus in a particular area can increase risk in others—and learn her system for making thoughtful, balanced business decisions.

Key Interview Takeaways

You don’t have to learn the hard way. Given the right mentorship, millennials can avoid the mistakes we made in the past. Laser’s book series serves as a toolbox to help people go in to the workforce smarter and be successful sooner.

The failure to learn is an organizational culture killer. With the advent of big data, we have so much information coming at us that we tend to make kneejerk decisions that are not thoughtful or balanced. And extreme focus in a single area increases risk in other areas we may not be aware of.

Balanced decision-making involves considerations around people, the public and our performance. Rather than thinking on a scale of yes/no, making good choices requires that we explore how our decision will impact the workforce and our communities at large.

The concrete barrier between senior leadership and the workforce results in a failure to learn. Communication breaks down when team members are afraid to tell the truth or incentivized to lie in order to meet certain benchmarks.

To make positive change, you may have to rub people the wrong way. Laser knows that her book series will receive pushback from senior leaders who are set in their ways, but she is committed to building a positive future nonetheless.

Connect with Tabitha Laser

TA Laser Consulting

Tabitha Laser on LinkedIn

Resources

Organizational Culture Killers Book 1: Deadly Expectations by Tabitha Laser

Failure to Learn: The BP Texas City Refinery Disaster by Andrew Hopkins

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“I meet way too many women who are passionate and purposeful and committed

to what they’re about in the world. But they are exhausted.”

Driven women, especially entrepreneurs, play full out to achieve their vision. But too many of us do so at the expense of our health, overriding our bodies’ needs until we are too depleted to make our greatest contribution to the world or take any pleasure in the wins. What can we do to prioritize our wellbeing and find a little more balance in our lives?

Brie Wieselman, LAc, MTCM, is the Clinical Director of Brie Wieselman Integrative Health, a practice focused on supporting women entrepreneurs in optimizing their health. Wieselman has 11 years of experience as a functional medicine and acupuncture practitioner, and she is dedicated to empowering people to resolve their health issues for good. Wieselman believes that good health is the springboard for living an inspired life, and she combines the best in Eastern philosophies with the best in Western medicine to heal chronic health problems. 

Today, Wieselman describes how she solved her own health challenges through changes in lifestyle and nutrition as well as targeted supplements. She explains why it is just as important to develop a strategy for health outcomes as it is to develop a strategy to achieve results in business. Wieselman also discusses how our bodies respond to chronic stress and what we can do to treat adrenal fatigue and restore optimal function. Listen in for Wieselman’s insight on prioritizing your health and sustaining the creativity and passion that motivated you to begin with!

Key Interview Takeaways

Your body has always got your back. Wieselman points out that your body is doing its best to help you survive and thrive. To solve her own health challenges, she listened to her body’s clues and treated herself in a targeted way.

Many ambitious women play full out—at the exclusion of their body’s needs. Wieselman argues that when our health is compromised, we cannot make our biggest contribution, nor can we sustain the creativity and passion we had for our work to begin with.

Prioritize your health and wellbeing. Developing a strategy to commit to your health and wellness is just as important as developing a strategy to achieve results in business.

We are not designed to withstand the effects of chronic stress. The constant stimulation we experience releases extra cortisol and leads to adrenal dysregulation.

A functional medicine practitioner can design a personalized supplement program to reprogram your body’s function. Once testing has determined where your hormone levels are out of balance, herbs and nutrients can be used to ensure you’re getting the right amount of cortisol at the right time of day.

Connect with Brie Wieselman

Brie Wieselman Integrative Health

Brie Wieselman on Instagram

Resources

DUTCH Test

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When Sharon McRill was laid off from her corporate job in 2003, she started a business running errands for busy professionals. Initially, she was doing a wide range of tasks from grocery shopping to organizing to pet care. But as the business evolved and her team grew, McRill realized that relocation management was their sweet spot. And now that she has niched down to a specialty, McRill’s business is ‘growing like crazy.’

McRill is the owner and president of The Betty Brigade, a business that helps busy professionals with moving, home staging, organizing and handyman services. McRill’s 10-member team of ‘Betties’ is committed to bringing peace and ease to organization and relocation, and their clients include individuals, realtors, trust officers and estate planners. McRill has been featured in a number of media outlets, including The Detroit Free Press, Crain’s Detroit Business and Forbes. The Betty Brigade was recently named one of the Ten Growing Companies to Watch by The Ann Arbor Business Review and honored as the 2014 Affiliate of the Year by the Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors.

Today, McRill explains how getting laid off from her corporate job served as the impetus for starting The Betty Brigade. She describes how niching down to her team’s sweet spot in organizing and relocation management has led to significant growth. McRill also shares her insight around the psychological aspect of her work, discussing the case study of a woman whose relationships are strained because of her hoarding tendencies. Listen in for McRill’s advice on leveraging perseverance to build a financially viable business you believe in!

Key Interview Takeaways

Hone down to your sweet spot. In the beginning, McRill’s team performed a wide range of errands for busy professionals, but she found that their strength was in relocation management. Since she niched down to organizing and relocation services, her business has taken off.

It’s about the stuff, but it’s not about the stuff. In working with hundreds of hoarders over the years, McRill has learned that the psychological aspect of the issue is paramount. In fact, she requires that those clients be in therapy to work through their inability to let go.

Running a business is not for the faint of heart. McRill contends that every day brings new challenges and celebrations, and she credits her success to perseverance: If you really believe in what you’re doing, keep going and the reward will come.

Maintain change with new behavior. Once McRill’s team has finished a project, she encourages clients to develop new routines, like setting aside time once a week to put everything back where it belongs.

Connect with Sharon McRill

The Betty Brigade

Resources

Downsizing the Silver Tsunami: Who to Call and Where Does the Stuff Go? by Sharon McRill

The 5 Love Languages

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