In this powerful episode, we sit down with Kola Shippentower. Her tribal name is Tumhiya, and she is from Nixyaawii country, in Eastern Oregon as an enrolled tribal member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. She is a two-time professional athlete, and a passionate advocate for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIW). She shares her deeply personal journey into advocacy—a role she never sought but felt compelled to take on as violence against Indigenous women continues to impact her community. Kola reflects on the weight of this work, the pain of losing loved ones, and the responsibility she carries to fight for justice, not just for her family but for future generations.

Through raw and heartfelt storytelling, she challenges misconceptions about Indigenous identity, the erasure of Native voices, and the way non-Native audiences often consume these tragedies without taking meaningful action. She emphasizes the urgent need for funding, systemic change, and allyship that goes beyond passive sympathy. Guided by her father’s wisdom, Kola has shifted her approach—moving beyond sorrowful storytelling to empowering and mobilizing her people to reclaim their strength, resilience, and rightful place in the fight for justice. This conversation is a wake-up call to all who listen: real change requires more than awareness—it demands action.

The theme of IWD 2025 has been selected as #AccelerateAction.

Step forward in solidarity for International Women’s Day (IWD) 2025 and help #AccelerateAction to speed up women’s equality. At the current rate of progress, it will take 134 years to reach full gender parity in 2158, which is roughly five generations from now, according to data from the World Economic Forum. So, together, let’s Accelerate Action to speed up the rate of progress.

Ok, you attempted something new, you took on a project at work, you tried to get healthy, and then... you hit a road block, you missed a day, you tried your best but the project didn't succeed in the way you wanted, NOW WHAT? As a people leader, one of the biggest challenges I have noticed in the last decade or more is the inability of people to rebound and move past mistakes and/or failure. We have all heard that failure is necessary for progress but it often feels like failure is not an option in sucgh a competitive culture. But failure IS OK, despite what it feels like or how people talk about it, the catch? It is only ok if we know how to rebound and move forward to bigger and better. Easier said than done? Let's talk about the art of the rebound. I also wrote this draft that might be useful in some of what we write for the synopisis, newletter and/or social -

When I grew up, I had two homes, like many people. There was only one thing that both of these homes had in common.

BASKETBALL

Both dads and all three brothers would yell at the tv for one reason or another but the thing I remember most clearly, the thing that became a sort of mantra for me was yelled by my step dad - Papa Doc or Pops.

“Offense doesn’t win basketball games. DEFENSE wins basketball games.

Get under the basket and rebound.”

Now there were variations of this but it became somewhat of a life lesson for me.

No I myself became a die hard Indiana Pacers fan. We do not know why. I was teased and questioned about it quite often as a west coast girl in TrailBlazer country but you couldn’t tell me nothing when it came to Reggie Miller and Jalen Rose.

One of my favorite facts about Reggie was that he developed his offensive shooting style IN RESPONSE to playing with his even more bad ass (sorry Reggie) sister Cheryl Miller to compensate for her shot blocking. 

Anyway….

In 2017 The HBO documentary UConn: The March to Madness was released. I was transfixed. All these years that I was obsessed with basketball and I was so ashamed to not know about this team and their success.

The UConn Huskies are the most successful women's basketball program in the nation, having won a record 11 NCAA Division I National Championships

Including four in a row, from 2013 through 2016,[2] 

over 50 conference regular season and tournament championships.

They have taken part in every NCAA tournament since 1989; as of the end of the 2018–19 season, this is the third-longest active streak in Division I.[3] From 2008 to 2022, they appeared in a record 14 consecutive Final Fours.[4]

UConn owns the two longest winning streaks (men's or women's) in college basketball history. The longest streak, 111 straight wins

The second streak counts 90 consecutive wins, including two undefeated seasons (2008–09 and 2009–10),

The Huskies also own the longest winning streak in regular-season games in college history;

As I watched (and bare with me as this was 8 years ago, I remember being transfixed by the relationship between the players and the coach and the way in which they understood and studied the game

Now let me explain that I am an idea person. I watch documentaries, listen to music, watch movies you name it and then I get ideas and I couldn’t help but think about the people on my team and more specifically one person. Lucy! A member of my team almost a decade ago, we did a lot of work to find her path and “THE ART OF THE REBOUND” was center stage. In this episode, we talk about the journey and why rebounding is so important for women both personally and professionally.

Think goal setting is just for New Year’s? Think again. While many of us have already abandoned our January resolutions—or skipped them altogether—there’s no better time than now to revisit what you truly want to accomplish this year.

In this episode, we explore why resolutions and goal setting are not the same thing and why meaningful goals require more than a midnight toast. Backed by research, we discuss how writing down your goals, setting deadlines, and having accountability partners can dramatically improve your chances of success—by as much as 42%!

I’ll also share my personal tradition of a New Year’s goal-setting retreat with friends, where we combine reflection, creativity, and intentional planning to map out our dreams. From journaling and goal boards to rituals for letting go of the past, this process has been life-changing, helping me accomplish 90% of my goals in a single year.

You’ll walk away with actionable tips to:

Reflect on your past year to uncover what truly matters.

Set specific, measurable goals with clear deadlines.

Create a visual reminder of your goals to keep you motivated.

Use accountability and acknowledgment to stay on track.

It’s never too late to get intentional about your life. Whether it’s March or December, the time to set meaningful goals is now. Let’s do this!

The lion is the king of the jungle and stories throughout history have been told exhalting the power and prowess of the lion. But did you know that the pride is held together by the lioness? It is the lioness who is in charge of hunting and securing resources to keep the pride alive. It is the lioness who cares for the cubs teaching them survival skills, how to hunt and social behaviors. It is the lioness who defends the pride's territory. The lion’s role is to patrol and mark territory. Not quite as impressive, am I right? It makes a girl wonder, why so few stories are told about the lioness. In this episode we explore what we can learn from the lioness and her role in the pride and how we can apply it to modern culture and the roles of women.

Welcome to Season Two! In this episode, we dive into the wild ride that has been the job market over the past five years—a journey marked by remote work revolutions, massive layoffs, and seismic shifts across industries. And I’ve been right there on the roller coaster with you.

After facing two layoffs since 2020—one just before the pandemic and another in 2023 when my department was offshored—I know firsthand how disorienting and daunting job loss can be. But I’ve also learned a lot through this extended period of unemployment and rebuilding.

This episode is for anyone navigating their own journey of job loss, career change, or reinvention. I’ll share hard truths about today’s hiring landscape, including why the process takes longer than ever and how AI has made things feel less personal. But I’ll also highlight the good news: tools and strategies are available to help you regain control, clarify your goals, and find a role that truly aligns with your needs.

We’ll cover practical tips for staying organized, avoiding scams, and creating a job search plan tailored to you. Plus, I’ll explore how creativity can be a powerful antidote to the stress of job hunting, backed by research on its benefits for mental health.

It’s tough out there, but you’re not alone—and with the right mindset and tools, this chapter can lead to something extraordinary. Let’s get started.

We often think that to be successful we have to be confident and never feel uneasy. That is a lie. It’s not about never experiencing self-doubt; it's about not letting that self-doubt hold you back. It’s about being able to recognize it when it arises and choosing to move forward anyway, despite the fear, despite the doubt.

That’s the freedom, Karen Laos wants every woman to feel—that they can trust themselves, their voice, their choices, and their path, even when the road isn’t clear. That is why she is on a mission to eradicate self doubt in 10M women in 10 years. Karen is a public speaker and coach who has worked with brans like Netflix, Google, Starbucks, and Nasa. She is also the author of the book “Trust Your Own Voice: Growing Your Influence Through Confident Communication”

Her work has impacted so many to come out of the shadows and do their best work. It’s about creating a world where every woman feels safe enough to use her voice, not just for others but for herself, where she can step into any room and know she belongs there. And that’s a world worth fighting for.

Modern culture has forced many women to believe that there was only room for one, which bred this narrative that women were catty or couldn't support each other. But the truth is, as women, we were set up to believe that scarcity was the norm. And that if one woman succeeded, it meant there was less opportunity for the rest of us. That mindset was ingrained in us for so long, how do we break free?

Now, instead of competing, we're seeing more women come together and lift each other up. We're realizing that when one of us wins, it opens the door for others to win as well. We’re dismantling that scarcity mindset and replacing it with one of abundance. There’s enough room for all of us to succeed.

When strong women break down barriers and create opportunities, they’re not just doing it for themselves; they're doing it for every woman who comes after them. They’re saying, “I’ve made it this far, and now I’m going to reach back and help you come with me.”

That’s how we create lasting change—by making sure that no one has to do it alone, by ensuring that the next generation has the resources, support, and community to achieve even more than we did. Enter Ronesha Hayes. Ronesha is the owner of Hayes Consulting and Coaching. Hayes Consulting and Coaching is a women and minority owned consulting agency supporting the Portland Metro area. Her team believes that financial security should be obtainable to everyone. Ronesha aims to break down barriers by offering low cost services that increase the financial wellness and empowerment of our clients. She is the board secretary for Xcelerate Women, a non profit that helps women business owners overcome systemic inequities to grow their businesses and build economic power now. Ronesha has spent majority of her career supporting and empowering women entrepreneurs and supporting corporations and government agencies implement supplier diversity initiatives/ programming across the region.

The work she is doing is about creating networks of support and empowerment where we all rise together.

Did you know that, nationally, only 20% of girls engage in at least 60 minutes of daily physical activity, a lower rate than boys? Or that girls’ participation drops off significantly from ages 10-17.

WAIT. HOLD UP…WHAT?

Some of the barriers that contribute to this include lack of financial means, lack of role models, and concerns about body changes including breast development and the need for a sports bra.

The simple intervention of a sports bra along with the normalization of body development can change the trajectory of a girl’s relationship with body movement for her whole life.

You read that right, their whole life.

In this episode we talk to Sarah Lesko MD. MPH, Executive Director, Board President of Bras for Girls, a non-profit looking to change the narrative around this and ensure that these barriers are no longer an issue for girls. Join us as we talk about the importance of participating in sports, teaching girls about the normal ways in which our bodies change throughout our lives, and building confidence in our girls.

"There is an incredible song overture on the Chika’s Samson: The Album featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda that says “Our stories are all we got, so if you’re going to tell it, tell it boldly. Tell the truth, without fear.”

Chika continues with an amazing stanza, but one particular part resonates for us. “We may do a little bending, but you'll never see us breakin’, this world is all ours, it’s ready of the takin’ behold the flow and watch me grow. They say I’m chosen, I say I know.”

Then Lin Manuel concludes with “And if you happen upon a story that serendipitously aligns with your own don’t hesitate to explore it. That’s what it’s there for. Our stories are all we’ve got.”

Every time we hear this, our shoulders go back and our head sits higher, because it is such an incredible reminder of the power of stories.

But for so often so many stories weren’t told.

In this episode, we discuss why so many shy away from telling their stories and how owning our story and stepping into the spotlight can help ourselves and others."