Society doesn’t just tell girls who they’re supposed to be. It tells boys who they’re supposed to be too. Different rules, different consequences—but they’re still boxes asking our kids to perform who they’re supposed to be instead of discovering who they actually are.

In this episode of This Is Woman’s Work, Nicole Kalil welcomes back Dr. Shefali, world-renowned clinical psychologist, multiple New York Times bestselling author, founder of the Conscious Parenting Movement, and author of two new books, Raising Conscious Daughters and Raising Conscious Sons.

And while there’s plenty to say about raising confident girls, this conversation spends significant time on what boys need from parents in a culture sending them increasingly confusing messages about masculinity.

They explore:

Because raising kids who know who they are—and get to decide who they become—that’s the work of a parent.

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Connect with Dr. Shefali:

Website: https://www.drshefali.com/raisingconscious-daughters-sons/ 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/doctorshefali/?hl=en 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@doctorshefali 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@doctorshefali 

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What if midlife isn’t the beginning of the decline, but the beginning of something entirely new?

We’ve been sold a pretty outdated life plan: learn, work, climb, achieve, retire. Preferably while raising children, maintaining friendships, exercising, drinking enough water, keeping our relationships interesting, remembering everyone’s birthdays, and figuring out what the fuck is happening to our hormones.

Yeah. That plan could use an update.

In this episode of This Is Woman’s Work, Nicole Kalil talks with Lynda Gratton, one of the world’s leading experts on the future of work, professor of management practice at London Business School, and author of Living the Hundred Year Life: How to Build a Career That Lasts and a Life You Love.

They explore:

So if you’re asking, “What’s next for me?” maybe you don’t need the entire answer yet. Maybe you get to keep weaving, experimenting, and choosing as you go.

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Connect with Lynda:

Website: https://www.livingthe100yearlife.com/ 

Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Living-100-Year-Life-build-career/dp/1399432966/ref=sr_1_1 

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynda-gratton-3b179813/   

Assessment: https://www.livingthe100yearlife.com/assessment 

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Somewhere along the way, a lot of us got way too practical. We learned what’s realistic, reasonable, and likely to work. We became responsible adults who pay the mortgage and don’t launch every half-baked idea that hits us in the shower.

Great. But what if being “realistic” is sometimes just fear with better branding?

In this episode of This Is Woman’s Work, Nicole Kalil talks with Dr. Salima Bhimani, moonshot architect, entrepreneur, former Alphabet Chief Strategist for Responsible Technology, CEO of 10x Responsible Tech, and author of Invent Now: The Next Leap in Moonshots.

Salima challenges the idea that innovation, AI, emerging technology, and moonshot thinking belong exclusively to Silicon Valley geniuses with billion-dollar budgets. Instead, she argues that human ingenuity exists everywhere—and that the future gets a hell of a lot more interesting when everyday people stop being passive recipients of technology and start participating in what gets built.

They explore:

This isn’t about convincing everyone to cure cancer, build the next Google, or become an inventor. It’s about getting a little less impressed by what’s “realistic” and a lot more curious about what could be possible.

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Connect with Salima:

Website: https://salimabhimani.com/ 

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Invent-Now-Next-Leap-Moonshots/dp/1394394020 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/moonshotmaven_salimabhimani/ 

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We’re living in the age of the quick fix. Three steps to happiness. One habit to eliminate anxiety. A supplement for every symptom. Enough already.

Because grief is complicated. Mental health is complicated. Relationships are complicated. We are complicated. And when we reduce deeply human experiences into easy solutions, we don’t just oversimplify the problem—we risk making people believe they’re the problem.

In this episode of This Is Woman’s Work, Nicole Kalil talks with Dr. Celeste Birkhofer, clinical psychologist, adjunct clinical faculty member at Stanford Medical School, and author of Beyond Quick Fixes. Together, they explore the five inner resources that support mental health, emotional resilience, healthy relationships, and personal growth—and why strengthening ourselves from the inside out matters more than finding the next hack.

They explore:

The work isn’t to constantly fix ourselves. It’s to know ourselves, strengthen ourselves, and build the inner resources that help us meet whatever life hands us with more capacity, compassion, resilience, and trust.

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Connect with Celeste:

Website: https://www.celestebirkhofer.com/ 

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Quick-Fixes-Ingredients-Fulfilling/dp/B0GRWSRJLK 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/celestebirkhofer 

FB: https://www.facebook.com/celeste.birkhofer  

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/celeste-birkhofer-phd-psyd-85525a9/ 

Substack: https://drcelestebirkhofer.substack.com/ 

Brainzmagazine: https://www.brainzmagazine.com/executive-contributor/celeste-birkhofer 

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Women have been told for years that they need to negotiate more—but what if that isn't the real problem?

In this episode, Nicole welcomes negotiation consultant, Harvard research fellow, and founder of Moon Negotiation, Joan Moon, to unpack what the research actually says about women and negotiation. Together, they challenge outdated myths, explore the impact of gender bias at the bargaining table, and share practical strategies that help women advocate for themselves without abandoning who they are.

From salary conversations to flexible work arrangements and everyday communication, this conversation reveals that negotiation isn't about becoming more aggressive—it's about becoming more strategic. 

In This Episode Nicole and Joan Discuss:

Together, these insights offer a practical roadmap for approaching negotiation with confidence, clarity, and a win-win mindset. 

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Connect with Joan:

Website: ww.moonnegotiation.com 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/moonnegotiation/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moonnegotiation 

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanmoon413/  

Mini Online Course: https://course.moonnegotiation.com/fundamentals-of-negotiation-for-women-EXPRESS 

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Women are told to be strong, but not hard. Confident, but not intimidating. Emotional, but for the love of God, don’t be too sensitive. Apparently, there’s some magical “just right” version of womanhood—but nobody seems to have the address.

In this episode of This Is Woman’s Work, Nicole Kalil talks with Dr. Sasha Hamdani, board-certified psychiatrist, mental health educator, and author of Too Sensitive about why feeling deeply isn’t a flaw to fix. They unpack rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD), what happens when emotions hijack logic, how hormones impact sensitivity, and practical ways to regulate without stuffing, numbing, or apologizing for what’s being felt.

Feeling deeply isn’t the same as being fragile. The goal isn’t to become less sensitive—it’s to understand it, work with it, and stop shrinking perfectly human parts of ourselves just because they make someone else uncomfortable.

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Connect with Sasha:

Website: https://www.drhamdanimd.com/toosensitive 

Book: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250423764/toosensitive/ 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/thepsychdoctormd/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thepsychdoctormd

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Working mothers are often told they can "have it all." But what many actually hear is that they're expected to do it all—build a successful career, raise thriving children, manage a household, nurture relationships, and somehow make it all look effortless. It's no wonder so many women feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and convinced they're somehow falling short.

In this episode of This Is Woman's Work, Nicole Kalil welcomes Julia Sewell—performance coach, founder of the Self-Made Mom movement, entrepreneur, and author of The Self-Made Mom: Thriving at Home and at Work Without Compromise. Together, they challenge outdated expectations surrounding motherhood and success while exploring what it truly means to build a life that honors both ambition and well-being.

This powerful conversation is about what it really takes to redefine success on your own terms as a working mom. Offering a new way forward for women who are ready to stop measuring themselves against impossible standards and start building lives that actually work for them. 

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Connect with Julia:

Website: https://www.theselfmademom.com/ 

Book: Sign up to be notified when the book launches and receive exclusive updates at: https://www.theselfmademom.com/book

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Guilt has become so commonplace in women's lives that many of us barely notice it anymore. It shows up when we set boundaries, ask for help, prioritize our careers, take time for ourselves, or simply admit that we can't do everything. But what if much of that guilt isn't a reflection of our values at all? What if it's the result of impossible expectations we've been conditioned to carry?

In this episode of This Is Woman's Work, Nicole Kalil sits down with Dr. Jennifer Reid, psychiatrist, women's behavioral health expert, educator, podcast host, and author of Guilt-Free: Reclaiming Your Life from Unreasonable Expectations. Together, they unpack how guilt functions as a form of social conditioning, why women are especially vulnerable to carrying unreasonable expectations, and how guilt often keeps us focused on fixing ourselves instead of questioning the systems that created those expectations in the first place.

Ultimately, this conversation is a reminder that not all guilt deserves our attention, and learning to question where it comes from can be a powerful step toward greater freedom and self-trust. 

Thank you to our sponsors!

Don't wait to teach your kids real-world money skills! Start your risk-free Greenlight trial today at Greenlight.com/TIWW. 

Connect with Jennifer:

Website: https://www.jenniferreidmd.com/ 

Substack: https://amindofherown.substack.com/ 

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-mind-of-her-own/id1561999981 

Guilt Free Groups: https://www.jenniferreidmd.com/guilt-free-groups 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/jenreidmd/ 

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Guilt-Free-Reclaiming-Unreasonable-Expectations/dp/0593833465 

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If you’re looking for some encouragement to chase your dreams, if it’s time for you to take that shot, or if you’re just looking for some energy to make it through your day, this is the episode for you!

Judi Holler is a fire starter, an energy shifter, the ultimate hype woman, one of my favorite people to follow on IG, and she’s moving audiences worldwide to take massive action in their lives and businesses. For the last decade, Judi has built an enterprise that includes a robust keynote speaking business, a top podcast, and a best-selling book. Each year, Judi shifts energy in convention centers and ballrooms worldwide with audiences of 50 - 50,000 with her motivational, inspiring, and transformational keynote experiences. 

Don’t waste another minute worrying and overthinking… it’s time to HOLLER AT YOUR DREAMS!

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Connect with Judi:

Website: https://judiholler.com/ 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/judiholler/ 

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Women are often told that working harder is the key to getting ahead. Deliver exceptional results, say yes to every opportunity, support the team, and eventually someone will notice. But for many women, that strategy doesn't lead to promotions—it leads to becoming indispensable in the very role they're trying to outgrow.

In this episode of This Is Woman's Work, Nicole Kalil sits down with Patty Azzarello—author, speaker, business advisor, and former Fortune 500 executive—to unpack the unwritten rules that shape career advancement. Drawing from her own journey from awkward introvert to CEO before the age of 40, Patty shares the lessons she learned about visibility, executive presence, influence, and why competence alone is rarely enough to build a successful career.

This conversation is a wake-up call for anyone who has been told that hard work alone is enough. Patty offers a refreshing, practical perspective on what actually drives career growth—and how to start making those shifts today. 

Thank you to our sponsors!

Don't wait to teach your kids real-world money skills! Start your risk-free Greenlight trial today at Greenlight.com/TIWW. 

Go to https://CovePure.com/tiww to get $250 off. Thanks to CovePure for sponsoring this episode!

Connect with Patty:

Website: https://pattyazzarello.com/ 

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattyazzarello  

IG: https://www.instagram.com/pazzarello777/ 

If you found this episode insightful, please share it with a friend, tag us on social media, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform!

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