This Is Woman's Work with Nicole Kalil

Most of us were taught to color inside the lines, follow the rules, and get a gold star for staying tidy. Cas Holman has spent her career blowing that up — and thank god. She designs tools, not toys, to spark creativity, collaboration, and imagination. (If you’ve watched Abstract: The Art of Design on Netflix, yep, she’s the genius behind the episode that made you want to ditch your to-do list and build something weird and wonderful instead.)

In this episode, we dive into what happens when we stop obsessing over “right answers” and start embracing curiosity, creativity, and — yes — play. Cas challenges the way we think about learning, design, and work itself. Because what if the secret to solving our biggest grown-up problems is to think a little more like kids?

We explore:

Why play isn’t just for children (and why adults need it desperately)

The danger of over-engineering creativity out of education and work

How designing for possibility creates stronger leaders, teams, and ideas

What Cas learned from creating Rigamajig, and why it’s so damn powerful

Why fun and freedom are the real productivity hacks

Because when we make more space for play, we make more space for brilliance.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Get 20% off your first order at curehydration.com/WOMANSWORK with code WOMANSWORK — and if you get a post-purchase survey, mention you heard about Cure here to help support the show!

Connect with Cas:

Website: https://casholman.com/

Book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/736596/playful-by-cas-holman-with-lydia-denworth/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/casholman/Rigamajig

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cas-holman-7b9baa5/

Abstract: The Art of Design (Season 2, Episode 4, The Art of Play): https://www.netflix.com/title/80057883

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We’re taking out the mental garbage — the “you’re not enough / you’re too much / who the hell do you think you are?” soundtrack — and swapping it for inner wisdom that actually serves us. Our guest, Megan Dalla-Camina, bestselling author and founder of Women Rising, breaks down 13 inner-critic archetypes and gives us a simple 3-step system to catch the story, question it, and reframe it so we can move — with clarity — toward what we actually want.

She’s the author of books including Simple Soulful Sacred, which brings leadership and spirituality together to offer practical, soulful pathways to help women rise into their power and awaken their inner wisdom.

We also dig into how patriarchy scripts so many of these voices, why “taming” beats “silencing,” and what it looks like to let your critic ride in the car… but never drive.

Why naming your inner-critic archetype gives you leverage (language = power)

The light side and shadow side of traits like perfectionism (at what cost?)

The 3-step loop: Catch the story → “Is it true?” → Reframe

How stress and burnout reactivate old patterns — and how to get back to wise self-leadership

Moving from external validation to inner wisdom (aka you’re the decider)

Bottom line: you may not silence your head trash forever, but you can change the relationship, reclaim your power, and let your inner wisdom lead the way.

Connect with Megan:

Website: megandallacamina.com

Inner Critic Quiz (free): megandallacamina.com/innercriticquiz

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Soulful-Sacred-Megan-Dalla-Camina/dp/1401965873?utm_source=chatgpt.com

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

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

FB: https://www.facebook.com/megandallacamina/

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We’re done with performative “women supporting women” while the DMs and side-eyes tell a different story. This conversation gets real about ditching scarcity, gossip, and grown-ass mean girl behavior and replacing it with unapologetic ampleship—front-row friends who say your name in rooms you’re not in, transfer social capital, and clap loud enough for the world to hear.

Our guest, Erin Gallagher—the unapologetic powerhouse behind the Hype Women movement—is on a mission to end Mean Girl culture and build a global sisterhood of women who celebrate, amplify, and rise together. She’s the CEO & Founder of Hype Women, author of Hype Women: Breaking Free from Mean Girls, Patriarchy and Systems Silencing You, and host of the Hype Women podcast. Erin’s work is part social justice, part straight talk, and 100% revolution. She’s here to remind us that supporting other women isn’t a brand strategy—it’s a power move.

We dig into:

The difference between “support” and performative support (and how to spot the fake hype)

How to do an honest audit of your circle—and yourself—to see where Mean Girl energy might still be lurking. Why women are conditioned to compete and how to rewrite that programming

How to use your human, social, political, and financial capital to amplify other women (and yourself)

What to do when you’re faced with a grown-ass Mean Girl at work or online

Why real confidence starts with self-trust, boundaries, and giving up the illusion of “doing it all alone”

The internal work that makes external hype possible—because we can’t celebrate others if we’re still betraying ourselves

This one’s part pep talk, part wake-up call, and full-on invitation to step into your front-row era.

Connect with Erin:

Website: https://www.hypewomen.com/ 

Book: https://www.hypewomen.com/ 

IG: instagram.com/erin.gallag.her 

FB: facebook.com/eringogallagher 

LI: linkedin.com/in/erinfgallagher 

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Let’s get something straight: sex isn’t the problem—control is. In this episode, we go there with award-winning journalist Carter Sherman, unpacking the “second coming” of the sexual revolution: why Gen Z is having less sex, how abstinence-only “education” and the internet are shaping desire (and anxiety), and what sexual conservatism vs. sexual progressivism actually looks like on campuses, in school boards, and in our bedrooms. We talk porn as an educator (for better and worse), the relationship recession behind the “sex recession,” consent, pleasure, labels, and—most importantly—how we each build a sex life that’s ours. If you’re tired of other people writing rules for your body and your choices, press play.

We reference Carter’s new book, The Second Coming: Sex and the Next Generation’s Fight Over Its Future and her reporting on Gen Z’s values-driven “revolution,” not just in headlines but in real life. For more on her work, check out the Guardian feature on Gen Z and the changing rules of sex.

We Cover

The internet as sex ed: community, confusion, and why nuance matters

Abstinence-only programs vs. reality (and risk)

Relationship recession > “sex recession” (what’s actually declining)

Sexual conservatism vs. sexual progressivism—who’s setting the rules and why

Pleasure, consent, and building a script that fits you, not Instagram

How to talk about sex (without dying of awkward) and fight back—locally

Because at the end of the day, this isn’t just a conversation about sex—it’s about agency, freedom, and reclaiming power over our own stories. And if there’s one thing this revolution makes clear, it’s that the most radical act might simply be choosing for yourself.

Connect with Carter:

Website: https://www.carter-sherman.com/ 

Book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Second-Coming/Carter-Sherman/9781668052457

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

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We’ve all had them — the micromanagers, the credit stealers, the screamers, the ones who treat “reply all at midnight” like a leadership strategy. Bad bosses are everywhere, but here’s the kicker: leadership is learned. Which means we can unlearn the toxic part and redefine how we lead.

In this episode, we sit down with Mita Mallick — Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of The Devil Emails at Midnight: What Good Leaders Can Learn From Bad Bosses, LinkedIn Top Voice, corporate changemaker, and fierce advocate for fixing broken workplaces. Together, we unpack why bad bosses are made (not born), how to spot when you’re slipping into toxic habits yourself, and what it takes to build the kind of leadership people actually want to follow.

We get into:

The real reasons people become bad bosses (hint: stress, modeling, and unhealed personal stuff)

Why micromanagement, fear, and time-hoarding are leadership red flags

How inclusion, credit-sharing, and genuine presence boost retention more than hoodies and free apps ever will

Practical ways to “manage up” when your boss is… less than inspiring

How to stop being that boss and start modeling the kind of leader you’d want to work for

Because nobody wants to be the horror story told at happy hour 10 years from now. Let’s do better.

Connect with Mita:

Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1394316488

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mita-mallick-2b165822  

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We’re not dreaming about a finish line—we’re designing our next chapter. In this conversation with trailblazer Anne Chow (former CEO of AT&T Business, board director, author of Lead Bigger), we unpack “rewirement”: the smarter, saner, more sovereign way to approach life after (and beyond) traditional work.

What we get into:

The origin story of “rewirement” (engineer-brain meets real-life evolution)

How to reflect with brutal honesty: strengths, energy-giving work, environments you thrive in, and the ones you loathe

The unsexy (but essential) life needs: money, healthcare, caregiving, and lifestyle non-negotiables

Why your research + seed-planting should start before you exit (network while your platform is loud)

Building a portfolio life (boards, teaching, books, consulting, play) and letting serendipity do its thing

Identity shifts after big titles—how to navigate the “who am I without the logo?” wobble

Community > everything: social connection as a longevity strategy

Partner alignment: designing a shared vision (and yes, more time together can be… an adjustment)

The metrics that actually matter: joy and fulfillment (not just status and spreadsheets)

Retirement isn’t the end—it’s your next evolution. This is your permission slip to stop chasing finish lines and start rewiring for joy, fulfillment, and a life that actually feels like yours.

Connect with Anne:

Website: https://www.theannechow.com/

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

X: https://x.com/TheAnneChow 

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

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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How many times have we spoken up, set a boundary, or asked for what we need, and immediately thought, “Am I being a b**ch?” That’s the head-trash of good girl conditioning talking, not reality. In this episode, women’s empowerment coach and novelist Megan Walrod helps us separate distortion from truth, spot body cues that signal self-abandonment vs. self-advocacy, and practice being what she calls a generative b**ch: fierce, values-aligned, and unapologetic.

We unpack scripts for setting boundaries without apology, how to reframe the inner critic (“Doubting Diva,” anyone?), and why it’s normal to sometimes under- or overshoot the mark. Plus, Megan shares her favorite embodiment practice—the infamous “F-You Walk”—to release suppressed emotion and reclaim your voice. We also dig into her debut novel, It’s Always Been Me, where the heroine saves herself (as it should be).

Because at the end of the day, being direct, self-respecting, and powerful isn’t bitchy—it’s integrity.

Connect with Megan:

Website: https://www.meganwalrod.com/

Substack: https://meganwalrod.substack.com/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/megan.walrod

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

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

Take the hidden power quiz: https://www.meganwalrod.com/quiz

Book: https://www.meganwalrod.com/book

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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What if the fastest way to define who you are is to first declare who you’re not? In this episode, we connect with branding legend Laura Ries, bestselling author of The Strategic Enemy and chairwoman of Ries Global Consulting, to talk about why naming your “enemy” may just be the most powerful move you can make in business, branding, and life.

We dig into how the world’s most successful brands (think Skims, Bumble, and Dunkin’) built their loyal followings not by trying to be everything to everyone, but by drawing a clear line in the sand. Whether you’re launching a business, refining your leadership style, or just trying to live more authentically, this episode will help you stop playing small, ditch the toxic “fit in and please everyone” narrative, and start owning your brand — unapologetically.

Because standing out doesn’t come from being “better.” It comes from being boldly different.

Connect with Laura:

Website:https://strategicenemy.com/

LI: linkedin.com/in/lauraries/

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What if the smartest, bravest thing you could say wasn’t “I know” — but “tell me more”?

In this episode of This Is Woman’s Work, we sit down with Elizabeth Weingarten — journalist, applied behavioral scientist, and author of How to Fall in Love with Questions. Her career has spanned writing and research roles at The Atlantic, Slate, and The Think Tank New America, as well as leadership work in applied behavioral science. Elizabeth’s mission? To help us break free from the cult of certainty and rediscover the power of curiosity.

Her new book isn’t just philosophy — it’s a practical toolkit for navigating life’s biggest unknowns with courage and creativity. She shows us why asking better questions leads to better relationships, smarter decisions, and more meaningful leadership of self and others.

We dive into:

Why curiosity is a leadership superpower (and why it’s harder than it sounds)

The four elements of a powerful “questions practice”

How reframing your questions can transform relationships, careers, and confidence

The danger of outsourcing answers instead of trusting your inner wisdom

Back pocket questions you can use to connect more deeply — with yourself and others

Because sometimes the most world-changing thing you can say isn’t I know — it’s tell me more.

Connect with Elizabeth:

Website: www.elizabethweingarten.com

Book: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/how-to-fall-in-love-with-questions-elizabeth-weingarten?variant=42922801758242 

Substack: https://timetravelforbeginners.substack.com/

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-weingarten/

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Trauma isn’t just about the big, obvious events. It’s not only about war vets, abusive relationships, or catastrophic loss. Trauma is the stuff our bodies never fully processed — the shock, fear, or helplessness that got stuck in our nervous systems. And here’s the kicker: it doesn’t live in the past. It lives in your biology, right now.

We’re joined by Dr. Aimie Apigian, double board-certified physician, addiction and preventative medicine expert, and author of The Biology of Trauma. With her background in biochemistry, public health, somatic experiencing, and trauma therapy, Dr. Aimie is uniquely qualified to help us understand how trauma gets stored in the body — and why we can’t just think our way out of it.

This is the kind of conversation that flips the script on “pushing through” and gives you permission to see that maybe your body isn’t betraying you — maybe it’s protecting you. And maybe the exhaustion, migraines, or that sense of stuckness aren’t a mindset problem at all. They’re trauma patterns.

Understanding this is not just science, it’s liberation. 

Connect with Aimie:

Website: https://biologyoftrauma.com/ 

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Biology-Trauma-Body-Holds-Overwhelm/dp/1637746237 

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

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