"I had my ladder on the wrong wall. I was putting all my energy into getting people to want McDonald's instead of Burger King. Who cares, really?" In this episode of Wickedly Smart Women, host Anjel B. Hartwell welcomes Kate Grant, CEO Emeritus of the Fistula Foundation and author of No Woman Left Behind. Kate explains what obstetric fistula is and how a relatively low-cost surgery can restore a woman's health. She shares the practical steps she took to move from advertising into nonprofit leadership and why investing in your own retooling can be the most powerful career move.

If you're thinking about leaving corporate for mission-driven work, this episode is full of tactical and emotional wisdom.

What You Will Learn:

How working in advertising at big agencies means using dark arts of consumer research to create psychological needs for products.

The decision process of choosing to go back to graduate school and completely retool rather than making a lateral move into nonprofit communications.

The reality that career change doesn't happen on the plane ride home from your transformative trip, it happens gradually like a pair of shoes that doesn't fit anymore, and it takes time to empower that voice that says you're done with this chapter.

What an obstetric fistula actually is.

How women with fistula are often stigmatized and how they're frequently blamed for an injury that's caused by a lack of medical access.

Why Fistula Foundation went from being one of several support organizations for a single hospital in Ethiopia to becoming the global leader doing more surgeries than the UN or US government.

The strategic decision not to take government money.

Why 90% of the fistula surgeries are successful and truly give women their lives back.

The permanent pay cut that comes with leaving the private sector for nonprofit work.

How ruthlessly thrifty operations with 19 consecutive years of four star Charity Navigator ratings prove worthiness of donor support by getting as much money as possible into the hands of doctors and hospitals in far-flung corners that do the real work.

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Fistula Foundation

Book: No Woman Left Behind

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At 50, I thought my body was broken. I knew everything about nutrition, but nothing was working anymore. In this episode of Wickedly Smart Women, host Anjel B. Hartwell welcomes Heather Awad, MD, a family doctor and certified coach, helps professional women in perimenopause and menopause lose weight without counting or deprivation. Learn why kindness precedes confidence, how insulin resistance shifts at midlife, and why moving from grazing to real meals restores energy, focus, and leadership clarity.

Professional photos can be retaken. But kindness and confidence can start today.

What You Will Learn:

Why eating less and moving more, does absolutely nothing during perimenopause, revealing that something fundamentally different is happening in the body.

The moment at age 50 of wondering if the body was broken and questioning how someone with extensive nutrition knowledge could be failing at weight management.

How combining an understanding of the biology and nutrition of menopause with coaching to address emotional eating made weight loss simple and sustainable.

Why many professional women including those in corporate leadership hold themselves back from seeking promotions or starting businesses because they feel their body isn't under control.

The critical distinction that mindset work and being kind to yourself is a completely separate track from getting your body under control or losing weight.

How kindness to yourself is the precursor to confidence, and that being kind doesn't cost anything except intention and time unpacking the parts of yourself that don't want to be kind.

The fundamental difference between the weight loss world that asks us to work hard, measure, and count calories, versus nutrition that can be simple and nourishing without ever going hungry or counting anything.

How our culture has normalized overeating to the point where having a stomach ache after meals seems normal.

Why this meal-based eating pattern helps with the natural bump in insulin resistance that comes at menopause.

The biological reality that when estrogen drops during menopause, it affects the entire body including digestive hormones.

Why insulin resistance means the body suddenly needs much more insulin just to process the same food.

Why grazing becomes the default feeding pattern during intense parenting years.

Why nourishing your body becomes increasingly important at midlife.

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Ready to leave corporate and build a business that actually funds your life. In this episode of Wickedly Smart Women, host Anjel B. Hartwell welcomes Estelle Gibson, CPA and TED speaker. Estelle shows you how to create a simple profit plan, price with confidence, and move through the money life cycle with intention. From childhood money scripts to corporate exits to packaging your offers, Estelle shares a calm and practical path that turns wisdom into wealth and replaces hustle with clarity.

What You Will Learn:

The critical distinction between being a launcher versus a leaper when it comes to leaving corporate.

Why business owners are always in a learning and accumulating knowledge phase regardless of age.

The reality that people are no longer retiring in the traditional sense but moving into next acts.

The concept of environmental design coaching created by Thomas Leonard.

The importance of recognizing when corporate values no longer match your personal values.

How taxes work completely differently as a business owner compared to an employee.

How the knack for making complex things very simple became the foundation for a coaching practice.

Why funding decisions need to address whether someone is funding the business personally or seeking investors.

How packaging services differently, examining time constraints, adjusting pricing, and restructuring client flow can create profitability without necessarily adding more clients or working longer hours.

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Jouney to Freedom

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Feeling wired, tired, and secretly dreading Mondays? In this episode of Wickedly Smart Women, host Anjel B. Hartwell welcomes Jasmin Dennis, health and wellness leadership coach. Jasmin breaks down her Burnout Pie Framework so you can recognize early signals, prevent a crash, and lead with resilience.

Whether you're considering leaving corporate or staying and thriving, this episode gives you the tools to assess where you are and what to do next.

What You Will Learn:

The critical distinction between burnout as an occupational phenomenon rather than a medical disease.

The dangerous cultural pattern of wearing burnout as a badge of honor or turning it into water cooler talk.

Why burnout can easily mask clinical depression and go undiagnosed, leading to devastating outcomes when the chronic stress is treated as just exhaustion.

How money becomes the primary driving force keeping people trapped in burnout cycles.

Practical holistic prescriptions for common burnout symptoms.

The power of holding space for someone in emotional crisis by simply allowing them to cry for 15 to 20 minutes without saying a word.

How asking someone in crisis to return in two days rather than making decisions in the moment gives them time to release toxicity and get clear about what they actually need.

The principle that pulling one thread of wellness unravels the entire tapestry of unwellness.

Why the goal is not to eliminate all stress but to successfully manage chronic stress before it accumulates into the eight slices of burnout that require intensive intervention.

How burnout affects not just corporate environments but also self employed entrepreneurs, healthcare workers, and stay at home caregivers, making community wellness talks essential for reaching people outside traditional workplace settings.

How to use body awareness and emotional intelligence to recognize when someone else's mood or energy is triggering your irritability.

Why the scientific community and World Health Organization are still working to identify the root cause of burnout.

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When was the last time you asked clearly for what you are worth. In this episode of Wickedly Smart Women, host Anjel B. Hartwell welcomes Amy Cosper, storyteller and brand builder to talk about risk, money, and the power women unlock when they find their voice. Hear why acting like Silicon Valley dulls your authenticity, how stories shape culture, why we cannot outsource them to AI, and the simple courage move that flips fear into forward motion. Smart, practical, and heart forward.

What You Will Learn:

Why many women are trained to avoid risk and how regular practice with small asks makes courage feel normal.

A quick test to notice when you are using a fake voice versus your true voice in rooms, pitches, and content.

How authenticity grows as an asset over time and becomes a moat that cannot be bought or borrowed.

Why community makes courage easier and how to borrow bravery from other women until yours grows.

How classic story arcs help you frame your work so people remember it.

Why AI can remix words but cannot create your lived experience and how to keep your stories original.

How to use emotional honesty without oversharing and without losing authority.

Why asking is non negotiable for funding and fees and how to state your value without apology.

What shifted in recent decades for women and business credit and why that context matters for courage now.

How to stop giving away ideas and execution and install healthy boundaries around your work.

A clean way to reframe failure so sunk costs turn into useful data.

How to build a personal story engine so your brand shapes culture instead of chasing it.

Why moving one person today is a worthy metric when scale feels far away.

A two part mantra for hard conversations.

How to turn everyday moments into sticky brand metaphors people repeat.

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What if your fatigue, insomnia, or autoimmune flare wasn't a problem to suppress, but a message pointing you back to your purpose? In this episode of Wickedly Smart Women, host Anjel B. Hartwell welcomes Dr. Kelly McCann, the only physician worldwide board certified across internal medicine, pediatrics, integrative and functional medicine, and medical acupuncture, plus she holds a master's in spiritual psychology. Dr. Kelly McCann shares a radically different approach to chronic illness. That unique combination allows her to see what most doctors miss: your symptoms aren't just physical glitches. They're a guidance system activating when you drift from alignment.

If you've been feeling that shimmy, that sense that something's off even when you can't name it, this conversation will help you understand what your body is trying to tell you.

What You Will Learn:

Why multipotentialites struggle with niching down and how forcing yourself into one box can show up as stagnation or health symptoms.

How symptoms function as data and direction, serving as your body's early whisper before it becomes a shout.

The connection between purpose, nervous system regulation, mitochondrial energy, and immune system boundary health.

How beliefs about worthiness and belonging may dysregulate the immune system and reduce cellular energy production.

A reframing of chronic illness using body maps like chakras, meridians, and metaphors to decode what a symptom might be asking of you.

Practical insights on money and health, including how conviction, aligned direction, and permission can open doors and funding for your next chapter.

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What happens when the worst moment of your childhood becomes the catalyst for a lifetime of creative power, advocacy, and audacious dreams? In this episode of Wickedly Smart Women, host Anjel B. Hartwell welcomes Lolita Milena, a paraplegic actress, author, and digital creator whose journey from Siberia to the stages of America is nothing short of extraordinary.

In this deeply honest conversation, Lolita opens up about transmuting trauma into purpose through dark humor, sisterhood, and relentless creativity. We dive into the hard truths about the U.S. foster care system, what actually keeps kids safe, and how she's building a sustainable creator business while staying true to her mission.

Whether you're interested in disability representation in media, survivor advocacy, or simply how to build an audience that truly cares, this episode delivers proof that your darkest moments don't have to dictate your future.

What You Will Learn:

How to turn trauma into creative fuel without letting it consume you through dance, theater, writing, and digital storytelling.

Why dark humor became Lolita's survival tool and how she uses comedy to bridge grief and agency while always punching up, never down.

The real problems in the U.S. foster care system that most people never hear about, from understaffing to inadequate background checks.

A smart awareness strategy for child abuse prevention that starts with people who don't know what they don't know and equips them to share.

The difference between performative activism and tangible action, and why survivors need both to create real change.

How to build a multi-interest audience that sticks with you by leading with story first, niche second.

The meaning behind 2,4,5,9 as Lolita's sci-fi novel title and how she honors family through art and memory.

A simple two-part self-soothing practice for hard days using oldies or folk music that grounds your body and soul.

Why nuance and independent thinking matter more than ever when you're advocating for systems change.

Connect with Lolita Milena

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What if the fastest way to real freedom isn't working harder in your business but making your money work twice? In this episode of Wickedly Smart Women, host Anjel B. Hartwell welcomes Amanda Taylor, investor and business growth strategist to share how women can move from survival mode to lasting wealth with unapologetic ownership, simple systems that scale, and values-aligned investing.

If you've ever wondered when to stop plowing every dollar back into the company and start building real wealth, this episode is your roadmap.

What You Will Learn:

How childhood money stories shape adult financial behavior and how to consciously rewrite them.

Why "make your money work twice" is the simplest wealth framework for entrepreneurs.

The conveyor-belt method to automatically allocate incoming revenue into safety, growth, and wealth buckets.

Practical ways to improve profit margins by stopping revenue leaks and pricing for profit.

How to choose values-aligned asset classes by assessing liquidity, risk, and return without jargon.

The difference between confidence and competence in financial decision-making.

Why most small businesses don't sell for what founders expect and how to de-risk your personal retirement plan now.

How women's intuition is a legitimate investing strategy when paired with education and structure.

What the coming intergenerational wealth transfer means for women and why early preparation matters.

A simple first step to start investing, even if you feel "not ready" yet.

Connect with Amanda Taylor

Expand Your Empire

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What if "turning 60" was actually the beginning? In this episode of Wickedly Smart Women, host Anjel B. Hartwell welcomes Allison McCune Davis, author and traditional neuropath, to demystify thriving after 60. Allison shares the health wake-ups that redirected her career, the mindset shift that came with a midlife challenge, and the planning discipline that turned a three-year manuscript into a movement. You'll learn the simple daily anchors that rebuild energy, how to identify and replace hormone disruptors at home, and a 60-day path to clarity, connection, and purpose.

What You Will Learn:

How a midlife "restlessness signal" can be used as data to realign your next five to ten years.

Why "your future is hidden in your daily routine" and the specific levers that matter most.

The core pillars of the 60-Day Dare (body work, brain work, world work) and how they translate into doable habits.

Practical ways to restore energy naturally by addressing gut health, adrenals, thyroid, and immune support.

How to swap endocrine-disrupting products at home for cleaner options that protect hormones and longevity.

A step-by-step method to identify purpose using one question per day for 60 days.

How accountability dramatically increases follow-through and results.

A simple decision filter for new seasons and how to reverse-engineer it.

What entrepreneurs can learn from writing a book "for your future," not just your past.

Ways to recalibrate career, caregiving, and self-care when you've been over-giving for decades.

How to use small, compound actions to build a truly "good life."

Why midlife offers unique advantages and how to harness them now.

Connect with Allison McCune Davis

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Are you letting fear run your life? In this episode of Wickedly Smart Women, host Anjel B. Hartwell welcomes Amy Koford, Clinical hypnotist and bestselling author. Amy shares her own journey from corporate HR and full-time motherhood to becoming a sought-after hypnotist, author, and speaker who helps people release deep emotional blocks, heal past traumas, and finally feel free.

If you've been craving change but fear keeps holding you back, this episode will show you how to rise, fearlessly and optimally.

What You Will Learn:

How hypnosis works with the subconscious to access buried memories and release emotional blocks.

The difference between necessary fear and unnecessary fear.

Why fear of failure, fear of what others think, and fear of not being enough are usually connected.

How unresolved childhood experiences can silently drive adult anger, stagnation, or low self-worth.

What happens when you're subconsciously afraid to be happy or don't feel you deserve it.

How to handle visibility blocks, from posting online videos to speaking in front of live audiences.

Why one-to-many transformation through seminars creates community, accountability, and faster results.

How to identify when anxiety or depression may actually be signals that you're not aligned with your true calling.

Practical mindset practices that help you pivot from corporate life into business ownership with courage.

Why joy, playfulness, and even laughter are critical tools for transformation and lasting success.

Connect with Amy Koford

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Wickedly Smart Women: Trusting Intuition, Taking Action, Transforming Worlds by Anjel B. Hartwell

Listener Line (540) 402-0043 Ext. 4343

Email [email protected]