The Female Insight Zone

By The Female Insight Zone & C-Suite RadioBusiness Careers

The Female Insight Zone episodes

July 27, 2018 Jessica Higgins: Developing a Mindset of Wealth Accumulation
While men are taught to build wealth and careers, marketing teaches women to spend money on the products and services that will make us beautiful. Jessica Higgins contends that this messaging actually pits us against success. So, how do we overcome this deep-seated cultural conditioning to develop a mindset of wealth accumulation? How do we learn to look out for ourselves first?
Higgins is a researcher, consultant and marketing communications professional who supports business leaders and entrepreneurs in understanding the impacts of emerging cultural trends. Higgins holds executive and board positions in companies in the arts, consulting and technology space, and she is the author of the newly-released book, 10 Skills for Effective Business Communication.
Today, Higgins explains how the pursuit of continuous learning contributes to her success. She shares current cultural trends toward cryptocurrency and AI, discussing the small number of women who are adopting these emergent technologies and the complex cultural motives behind our hesitation. Higgins also walks us through the themes of her forthcoming book, discussing the importance of communication skills like listening and empathy in creating influence at scale. Listen in for Higgins’ insight on surrounding ourselves with a trustworthy team and developing a mindset of wealth accumulation.
Key Interview Takeaways
Women are less likely than men to adopt emergent technologies. Cultural trends toward digital currency and artificial intelligence have big implications for the way we work moving forward, yet only 8% of women are using cryptocurrency, for example.
Marketing teaches women to spend money. While men are taught to build wealth, advertising encourages women to depart with our money to look pretty. Higgins contends that this pits us against financial freedom and wealth accumulation.
Develop a mindset of wealth accumulation. Higgins advocates for women to look out for themselves first, setting intentions and then acting in selfishly as necessary to achieve success.
Communication is key in creating influence at scale. To affect true change, business leaders must hone their skills in areas like listening, negotiation and empathy.
Make communication as human as possible. Only 8% of the messages we send come from the words themselves, while the rest is communicated by tonality and body language.
Surround yourself with people you trust. If we choose to work with someone who is unethical, it’s only a matter of time before this will become a point of contention.
Connect with Jessica Higgins
Jessica Higgins’ Website
Jessica Higgins on LinkedIn
Jessica Higgins on Facebook
Email [email protected]
Resources
10 Skills for Effective Business Communication: Practical Strategies from the World’s Greatest Leaders by Jessica Higgins, JD, MBA, BB
How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back from Your Next Raise, Promotion, or Job by Sally Helgesen
Coinbase

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20 min
July 13, 2018 Nikki Barua: Accelerating Digital Transformation
How can Fortune 500 companies compete in a technology-driven era? As emerging startups adapt quickly and disrupt industry after industry, traditional businesses have no choice but to undergo a digital transformation, to be as agile as up-and-coming entrepreneurs.
Nikki Barua is the founder and CEO of Beyond Curious, a sought-after consultancy that partners with large companies to accelerate digital transformation. Barua started the company in 2011 with the intention of helping big companies innovate like startups, and she has made it her mission to support business leaders in gaining a clarity of purpose as they guide organizations through change. Barua is an award-winning entrepreneur, and her story has been featured in national media including Fortune, Forbes and CNBC. She is also the author of Beyond Barriers: How to Unlock Your Limitless Potential.
Today, Barua explains how she got into the business of ‘making elephants run,’ discussing the challenging early days of her business and how she persevered despite a 100% rejection rate. She describes the work of Beyond Curious as a catalyst for change, walking us through the transformation of products, capabilities and culture facilitated by her team. Listen in for Barua’s insight on diversity as the fuel for innovation and learn how digital transformation affords large companies the adaptability to remain competitive in a technology-driven world.

Key Interview Takeaways
The #1 skill set is adaptability. Barua built her business on the idea of ‘making elephants run,’ helping Fortune 500 companies develop the ability to be as agile and quick to pivot as emerging startups.
Solicit feedback every time. Barua’s RFP was rejected eleven times before she landed her first big client, and she credits her eventual success to the fact that she applied their feedback to make the proposal better each time—closing the gap between their needs and what she had to offer.
Get to the island and burn the boat. Barua believed in her vision for Beyond Curious, and she didn’t have a Plan B. This forced her to tap into a next-level resourcefulness, creativity and persistence that pushed her forward.
To compete in a technology-driven era, traditional companies must undergo a digital transformation. Beyond Curious supports companies in rethinking their business model, translating ideas to products faster, and adapting their culture to facilitate innovation.
Diversity is the fuel for innovation. Barua sees a connection between embracing diversity and adopting a growth mindset, and she argues that diversity is a competency companies need in order to thrive and adapt to change.
Connect with Nikki Barua
Beyond Curious
Nikki Barua’s Website
Nikki on LinkedIn
Nikki on Twitter
Resources
Beyond Barriers: How to Unlock Your Limitless Potential by Nikki Barua

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23 min
June 15, 2018 Sally Helgesen: Breaking the Habits That Hold Women Back
What keeps talented, hardworking women from attaining positions of leadership? Yes, there are cultural and structural issues at play, but how can we put ourselves in a position to influence and shape those structures? How do women identify—and break—the habits that hold us back?
Sally Helgesen has 30-plus years of experience in the field of women’s leadership. As an author, speaker and consultant, she helps women recognize, articulate and act on their greatest strengths. Helgesen’s books include bestseller The Female Advantage, hailed as ‘the classic work’ on women’s leadership styles, and The Web of Inclusion, credited with bringing the language of inclusion into the business. She is a sought-after facilitator and keynote speaker for corporations, partnership firms and universities around the world, and Helgesen has consulted for the United Nations and led seminars at the Harvard Graduate School for Education and Smith College.
Today, Helgesen walks us through several of the habits discussed in her new book, How Women Rise, explaining the value in promoting our achievements and the danger in overvaluing expertise. She offers insight around setting manageable goals and engaging allies for support as well as letting go of judgement by adopting an ‘oh well’ approach to mistakes. Listen in as Helgeson describes how we can leverage our strengths as women and break the habits that hold us back!

Key Interview Takeaways
Be clear about your contributions and claim your value. To move up in an organization, women must find a comfortable way to promote their achievements.
Expertise will only get you so far. Mastering the details of the position you’re in now can make you indispensable in THAT role and prevent you from moving up! Don’t make the mistake of putting your job before your career.
Start with one habit. Choose one manageable goal to work on first; for example, you might make it a point to communicate more concisely in a weekly meeting.
Engage allies and ask for help. Women who recruit peer coaches and solicit feedback from others are much more successful than those who try to change habits on their own.
Adopt an ‘oh well’ approach. Let go of judgement—of yourself AND others.
Every problematic habit is rooted in a strength. Don’t overly react against your natural tendencies. Qualities such as conscientiousness, loyalty, modesty and concern for others are valuable; in fact, they got you where you are!
Connect with Sally Helgesen
Sally Helgesen’s Website
Sally Helgesen on LinkedIn
How Women Rise
Resources
How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back from Your Next Raise, Promotion, or Job by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith
The Female Vision: Women’s Real Power at Work by Sally Helgesen
The Female Advantage: Women’s Ways of Leadership by Sally Helgesen

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27 min
June 01, 2018 Dr. Anita Sanchez: The Four Sacred Gifts
We often feel as if we must cut off certain parts of ourselves depending on the circumstances, especially when it comes to the way we show up at work. But Dr. Anita Sanchez contends that this separation and misalignment is what causes suffering, and if we want to do our best work, we need to tap into the four sacred gifts and maintain our wholeness—the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of ourselves.
Dr. Sanchez has spent four decades sharing indigenous wisdom with executives and their teams all over the world. She draws on the teachings of her Aztec and Mexican-American heritage as well as the latest science to inspire and equip leaders to enjoy meaningful, empowered lives and careers. Dr. Sanchez serves as a transformational leadership consultant, speaker and coach, and she is the author of the bestseller The Four Sacred Gifts: Indigenous Wisdom for Modern Times.
Today, Dr. Sanchez explains the concept of transformational leadership, discussing the way that true transformational leaders inspire their teams rather than trying to manage them. She walks us through the four sacred gifts: the power to forgive the unforgiveable, the power of unity, the power to heal, and the power of hope in action. Listen in for Dr. Sanchez’s insight around applying indigenous wisdom to business in a way that allows people to keep their wholeness, develop supportive relationships, and leverage hope as an energy source.

Key Interview Takeaways
People don’t need to be managed, they need to be inspired. True transformational leaders serve in aligning the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical aspects of every employee.
Harness the power to forgive the unforgiveable. Rather than hanging on to hurt or mistreatment and being imprisoned by it, we must use our energy for what we want to create in the world.
Connection makes everything possible. We need to see past the illusion of separation that is causing the current division and divisiveness in the world and move into positive action. As Dr. Sanchez puts it, ‘The GPS doesn’t work if you’re standing still.’
We can’t give what we don’t have. For true healing to occur, we must first adopt an unconditional love of self.
Hope is an energy source—and a choice. We can draw on the magic of hope if we sit still and allow the unimaginable to arise, and no one can take that away from us.
Connect with Dr. Anita Sanchez
Sanchez, Tennis & Associates
Four Sacred Gifts
Resources
The Four Sacred Gifts: Indigenous Wisdom for Modern Times by Anita L. Sanchez
Libby Gill on The Female Insight Zone

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17 min
May 18, 2018 Robin Farmanfarmaian: Becoming a Thought Leader
To develop a reputation as a thought-leader in your industry, you must look at your life as a business and invest a significant amount of time and money in your own success. Are you willing to become your own Chief Strategy Officer? To hire coaches and a PR team? To practice your first presentation 40 times before taking the stage?
Robin Farmanfarmaian is a professional speaker, serial entrepreneur and angel investor working in cutting-edge technology and medicine, and she has a deep understanding of how artificial intelligence is likely to impact and disrupt the healthcare space in the next ten years. Farmanfarmaian currently serves as the VP of Business Development at Actavalon, a startup working to cure cancer, and she is an angel investor in Dance Biopharm Holdings, a company developing inhaled insulin products to treat diabetes— among many other projects. Her book, The Patient as CEO: How Technology Empowers the Healthcare Consumer, is a bestseller on Amazon.
Today, Farmanfarmaian shares the story behind The Patient as CEO, explaining how a misdiagnosis led her to take charge of her own healthcare. She addresses the advances that have been made in medicine to this point and how technology is dramatically accelerating our progress moving forward. Listen in for Farmanfarmaian’s insight around developing the confidence to thrive and investing the necessary time, effort and capital in becoming a thought leader in your field.
Key Interview Takeaways
Become the CEO of your own healthcare. Farmanfarmaian’s misdiagnosis at the age of 16 led to countless hospitalizations and multiple surgeries—before she took control. She was finally diagnosed correctly and went into remission overnight.
The human body is an incredibly complex system. Yes, we have made great strides in our understanding, and life expectancy has doubled in the last 100 years. But we still only have treatments for a few hundred of the more than 10K known human diseases.
Technology is dramatically accelerating human progress in healthcare. AI allows us to apply machine learning to massive data sets, providing insights that would otherwise take us years to discover.
View your thought-leadership as a business. Farmanfarmaian invested a great deal of time, effort AND capital to become a sought-after speaker. She hired high-end coaches, designers and a marketing team, and she practiced her first presentation 40 times before delivering it on stage!
You are that strong. Farmanfarmaian’s secret weapon is confidence coupled with a strong sense of mission. Despite the extreme trauma she has experienced, Farmanfarmaian is determined to positively impact 100M patients worldwide.
Connect with Robin Farmanfarmaian
The Patient CEO
Robin Farmanfarmaian on LinkedIn
Robin Farmanfarmaian on Facebook
Robin Farmanfarmaian on Twitter
Resources
The Patient as CEO: How Technology Empowers the Healthcare Consumer by Robin Farmanfarmaian

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16 min
May 04, 2018 Dr. Natalie Nixon: Accelerating Innovation with Rigor and Wonder
Businesses that thrive long-term continue to innovate, even when they are at the top of their game. If the Kodaks of the world don’t disrupt themselves, someone else certainly will. So, the question becomes, how does an organization continue to drive growth and generate new ideas—even if there is no one in the rearview mirror? Dr. Natalie Nixon contends that the key to accelerating innovation lies in the ebb and flow between rigor and wonder.
Dr. Nixon is the Founder and Principal at Figure 8 Thinking, a consultancy dedicated to helping organizations accelerate innovation by connecting the dots between creativity and strategy. A design strategist and hybrid thinker, she leverages her background in service design, anthropology and fashion to support clients in cultural transformation, leadership development, and team collaboration. Nixon is also a Fellow at the Paris d.School and a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, and she created the Strategic Design MBA program at Philadelphia University. Nixon is a frequent contributor to Inc. magazine, and she has been a featured speaker at the Business Innovation Factory, 360 Possibilities and The Copenhagen Institute for Interactive Design.
Today, Nixon shares the connection between her background in anthropology and fashion, explaining how she sees the world from a ‘worm’s eye view.’ She discusses how her business, Figure 8 Thinking, evolved from a talk on improvising at work she delivered at TEDx Philadelphia in 2014. Nixon describes how companies can accelerate innovation by driving growth based on consumer needs, hiring from a non-traditional wheelhouse, and benchmarking progress against a wide variety of sectors. Listen in for Nixon’s insight around kinesthetic learning and the balance between wonder and rigor.

Key Interview Takeaways
Drive the growth of your business based on the needs of the consumer. Nixon contends that if you focus on the end-user, profitability, efficiency and productivity will follow.
Ensure thought diversity by hiring from a variety of sectors. More diverse inputs result in more innovative outputs, so companies willing to hire anthropologists, psychologists and artists will naturally accelerate innovation.
Benchmark your team against other sectors. Rather than simply making comparisons with others in your industry, Nixon suggests casting a wider net to determine what ‘best in class’ really means.
A superiority complex can be fatal. Nixon argues that companies like Kodak fail when they lose their curiosity. A false sense of security and resistance to change leaves a company ripe for disruption.
Physical activity helps balance the mind. Nixon’s recent return to the dance studio is fueling her creativity and outlook in a positive way.
Rigor cannot be sustained without wonder. Corporate culture emphasizes structure and processes, but problem-solving only happens when we balance that rigor with the time to daydream—to pause and suppose.
Connect with Dr. Natalie Nixon
Figure 8 Thinking
Dr. Nixon on BigSpeak
Resources
Dr. Nixon at TEDx Philadelphia
Strategic Design Thinking: Innovation in Products, Services, Experiences and Beyond edited by Natalie Nixon
Dr. Nixon’s Column in Inc.

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21 min
April 20, 2018 Kimmie Greene: Taking Fear Off the Table to Pursue Entrepreneurship
Who is #BackingYou?
What would you do if you could take fear off the table and fully commit to yourself? Would it give you the courage to put yourself in the driver’s seat and become an entrepreneur? To reach out and ask for peer support? To go after backing for your business through non-traditional models?
Kimmie Greene is a finance expert and business mentor at Intuit and the spokeswoman for QuickBooks Self-Employed, a division of Intuit that provides freelancers and independent contractors with an easy and affordable way to manage their finances and save money during tax season. Prior to QuickBooks, Greene spent two years running her own PR firm, building a business that generated $250K in annual revenue.
Today, Greene shares the inspiration behind her decision to become an entrepreneur and how that experience allows her to connect in an authentic way with clients at QuickBooks Self-Employed. She discusses her top takeaways from the recent Create & Cultivate conference celebrating female entrepreneurship, explaining the value of committing to yourself and learning from other women. Greene speaks to the fear of money, offering advice on how to discuss your fees with confidence. Listen in for Greene’s insight around non-traditional funding models and tools to support your financial well-being.
Key Interview Takeaways
Entrepreneurship puts you in the driver’s seat. Greene’s had been cast as the ‘tech person’ in corporate PR, but her decision to freelance gave her the chance to spread her wings and take on projects in other areas.
Take fear off the table and commit to yourself. You cannot expect others to back you until you have moved past the fear and made the decision to back yourself—100%.
Take advantage of peer learning. Reach out to other women entrepreneurs with questions and learn from their experiences.
Overcome the fear of money by putting it in writing. Greene suggests that asking other freelancers in your market what they’re charging and publishing your fees in the form of a contract will afford you confidence.
Be sure you are on solid ground with your personal finances before you start a business. Financial well-being allows you to say ‘yes’ to the right clients, projects and opportunities.
Look into non-traditional funding models. Venture capital and bank loans are not the only choices. Consider self-funding and crowdfunding campaigns to finance your business.
Connect with Kimmie Greene
QuickBooks
QuickBooks on Facebook
QuickBooks on Twitter
QuickBooks on YouTube
Resources
Mint
TurboTax
Create & Cultivate
Indiegogo
GoFundMe
Kickstarter

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21 min
April 13, 2018 MarBeth Dunn: Harnessing Your Miracle Power
There are things you simply cannot control in your personal and professional life… But you CAN control your thoughts—and thoughts have the power to change reality. If you have been feeling like a victim of circumstance, it’s time to shift your perspective, connect with the divine and harness your miracle power.
MarBeth Dunn is a mindset, success and happiness coach with 30-plus years of experience in spiritual teaching. She trains business professionals to create personal and economic miracles, using her intuitive abilities and the powerful Miracle Activation Technology system to offer clients greater confidence, financial success and emotional freedom. Dunn has been featured on several media outlets across the US, including FOX, CBS and NBC.
Today, Dunn shares the personal story of how she harnessed the ability to change her thoughts and attract miracles in her personal and professional life. She explains the value in cultivating peace in order to ‘ride the coattails of the divine.’ Listen in for Dunn’s insight on visualizing the situations you want to create and reframing negativity by asking, ‘What good could come of this?’
Key Interview Takeaways
Thoughts can change your reality. Many years ago, Dunn was struggling in her business and personal life, seeing herself as a victim. The moment she realized that the ability to change her thoughts gave her power, miracles started to happen.
There is no such thing as an idle thought. Every thought has power.
Cultivate peace. Dunn contends that you always have the choice to get embroiled in conflict or opt for peace, and peace affords a connection with the divine.
Reframe a situation by asking, ‘What good could come of this?’ A shift in perspective leaves you open to possibilities—and frees you from being locked into desperation.
Visualize yourself in the situation you want to create. If you need new clients, for example, visual yourself interacting with new clients and feeling good about it.
Connect with MarBeth Dunn
Your Miracle Power Website
Miracle Mindset on Facebook
Free Consult Application
Resources
MarBeth Dunn’s Free eBook

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18 min
April 08, 2018 Libby Gill: Hope IS a Business Strategy
The business world often downplays the role of hopefulness in the workplace, maintaining that hope is not a viable approach. But if you’d ever worked in an office where people felt hopeless, you know that progress is not possible without it. Libby Gill believes that hope IS a strategy, and she uses research around hope theory to give her clients the discipline and competitive advantage necessary in today’s rapidly changing world.
Gill is an executive leadership coach, keynote speaker and bestselling author. After heading communications at media giants Universal, Sony and Turner Broadcasting, Gill left the corporate world to found Libby Gill & Company, a coaching and consulting firm focused on helping high-performing individuals and organizations navigate challenge and change. Gill’s client roster includes Comcast, Disney, Honda, Microsoft, and Warner Brothers, among many others. She has appeared on CNN, NPR, and The Today Show, and Gill is the author of the award-winning YOU UNSTUCK. Her latest book, Hope IS a Strategy hits shelves April 10, 2018.
Today, Gill shares her early achievement in the corporate world, explaining how a willingness to take on new challenges contributed to her success. She defines ‘riskophobia,’ discussing how the predisposition for safety can hold us back personally and professionally. Gill speaks to hope theory and the need for hopefulness in the workplace to facilitate risk-taking and innovation. Listen in for Gill’s insight on changing habits and staying hopeful with a daily meditation practice.
Key Interview Takeaways
Raise your hand. Gill attributes her corporate success to a willingness to take on new responsibilities and lean on her team.
Even if you fail, you’re not going to fall apart. Humans are hardwired to avoid danger, and we often give in to our predisposition for safety. But Gill contends that you need to get past the ‘riskophobia’ and take on the next challenge.
Hope is the jet fuel for life. Gill argues that hope is the missing link in the workforce, and she coaches leaders in building a sense of hopefulness that allows for risk-taking and innovation.
It takes much longer than 21 days to form a habit. Research has determined that 66 days or longer is more accurate, and Gill suggests establishing a trigger that makes the new habit automatic—a hardwired part of our routine.
Bring the entire team in on the coaching process. In Gill’s work coaching leaders, she finds it useful to include the team in both identifying blind spots and recognizing behavior change.
Stay hopeful with a daily meditation practice. Whether you choose to run, chant, pray or read, starting each day with the right tone helps you get past the fear, doubt and insecurity—and stay positive.
Connect with Libby Gill
Libby Gill & Company
Libby Gill on YouTube
Libby Gill on Facebook
Libby Gill on Twitter
Libby Gill on Instagram
Resources
The Hope-Driven Leader: Harness the Power of Positivity at Work by Libby Gill

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23 min
March 23, 2018 Christine Monaghan: Responding to Stressful Situations
87% of employees experience physical, psychological or behavioral symptoms of poor mental health, resulting in between $17 and $44 billion in lost productivity.
There is an epidemic of presenteeism in our culture, a phenomenon in which employees are physically present at work, yet high levels of stress prevent them from getting much done. This stressed mindset results in choices made out of fear that take us further and further away from the things we really want. What can we do to shift our thinking and respond to stress in a way that serves us in reaching our highest potential?
Christine Monaghan is a human-potential champion who works with individuals and organizations to inspire a solutions-based leadership approach that boosts productivity, engagement and profits. She is passionate about influencing others to replace stress and tap into optimum performance through a focus on mindful commitments, conversations and choices. Monaghan came to this work after enduring emergency heart surgery and the extreme anxiety that followed, and now she is on a mission to help others access new levels of potential from a place of ease versus stress.
Today, Monaghan explains how she was able to view herself as a clean canvas in the aftermath of her near-death experience, focusing on the opportunity to create a new life rather than what she had lost. She discusses strategies for responding to stressful situations as opposed to reacting out of fear, working ON your life rather than IN it, and getting comfortable being uncomfortable. Listen in for Monaghan’s insight on calming your nervous system in stressful situations and making choices that get you closer to your goals.
Key Interview Takeaways
After a difficult experience, view yourself as a clean canvas. In the aftermath of Monaghan’s near-death experience, she chose to focus on the opportunity to create whatever she wanted rather than dwelling on what she lost.
Reprogram your mind to respond to stressful situations versus reacting out of fear. Ask yourself if this choice will move you closer to or further away from how you want to feel and what you want in your life.
Work ON your life rather than IN your life. This is the key to closing the gap between goal-setting and goal-achieving.
Who you become in the process of achieving your goals is the gem. Reaching the goal itself is a second reward.
If you’re feeling stressed, calm your nervous system and course correct. Touch the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth and take three deep breaths. Then, pause and make a choice that takes care of you and fulfills your responsibilities.
Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Discomfort is a signal that you’re moving forward.
Connect with Christine Monaghan
Christine Monaghan’s Website
Daily Life Mastery on Instagram
Christine Monaghan on LinkedIn
Resources
HeartBroke, From Uncertainty to Possibility by Christine Monaghan
Forbes 2018 Trends Article
Deloitte Report on Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing

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19 min

About The Female Insight Zone

From the publisher's feed

The Female Insight Zone is a 30-minute podcast sharing insights from women who have made an indelible mark in business and the path they took to soar. In each episode, host Maribeth Kuzmeski…