Women Killing It!

Samantha Ettus, a work/life expert and best selling author, talks about her book "The Pie Life." She shares her view that women are happiest when they play in several different slices of life -- their career, their personal life, and even hobbies. She talks strategies for achieving the ever illusive work-life balance and discusses the unrealistic expectations that society places on mothers. For a hopeful view that it is indeed possible to "have it all," check out this episode!

Amelia Robinson is a classically trained musician, as well as a composer, producer, and entrepreneur. She is also the founder of Mil's Trills, a children's music project that invites families to celebrate community through interactive performances. Amelia believes in living life to the fullest and is "not really interested in doing what everyone else has done." Her career has included traveling the world with a ukelele and even forming and conducting an orchestra of 500 people playing bicycle bells in a London square! Get inspired by Amelia's lessons of paying attention, accepting the flow of making art, prioritizing self care, and building friendships around womanhood.

Ilyana Kadushin is a voice performer, music and documentary producer, audio book narrator, podcast host, and founder of Stories Love Music Inc., a creative engagement program for elders with memory loss and their care givers. Learn about her relentless activism and the importance of overcoming the resistance within. Hear about Ilyana's career path -- a series of fascinating projects, many of which involve Ilyana utilizing her talents to be of service. From hosting the "No, I know" podcast with her husband to producing the award-winning documentary, Separate But Equal, Ilyana refuses to just "dial it in."

Nancy Halpern is a leadership development consultant and principal of KNH Associates. She's also a serial career switcher who never wants to get stuck in a rut. On this episode, Nancy shares wisdom learned through coaching top executives and emphasizes the importance not just of confidence but of competence. Hear why we should embrace aging and the increased competence that it brings. Get inspired by a woman who is not afraid to pivot and try new things, and who has thrown so much spaghetti on the wall that she has "marinara wallpaper."

Kristen Pressner is the Global Head of Human Resources for Roche Diagnostics, based in Basel, Switzerland. Kristen gave a TEDx talk entitled, "Are You Biased? I Am," telling of her surprising discovery of her own gender bias. In the talk, she proposes the Flip It To Test It challenge as a way for us all to become aware of our own biases. On this episode, Kristen also shares her path to taking on a high level international job while parenting four children.

A lot has been written about workplace conflict between Generation X'ers and Millennials, but Tori Dunlap shows that the younger generation has its own wisdom to share. Tori tells her story of starting her first business at age 9, and taking ownership of her life ever since. She talks about managing a corporate job and a side hustle, being open to unexpected opportunities, finding a support network, and trusting in the goodness of people. This episode made me hopeful for the future, and I hope it makes you hopeful too!

New York Times bestseller Sarah MacLean is the author of historical romance novels that have been translated into more than twenty languages, and winner of back-to-back RITA Awards for best historical romance from the Romance Writers of America. Sarah talks about why romance novels are feminist -- they are by, for, and about women, and they feature women finding their power. She shares her career journey of writing her first four books as a side hustle while working full-time, the importance of finding your tribe, and how her writing has inspired women to make changes to their lives.

Glynda Carr and Kimberly Peeler-Allen are the co-founders of Higher Heights For America, building a national infrastructure to harness Black women's political power and leadership potential. Higher Heights invests in a long-term strategy to analyze, expand and support a Black women's leadership pipeline at all levels and strengthen their civic participation beyond just Election Day. On this episode, Glynda and Kimberly share good news about black women in politics, discuss exciting candidacies, and talk about their own inspiring career paths.

Amanda Hesser is the Co-founder and CEO of Food52, which has been described as an online food empire. Before Food52, Amanda was a celebrated food writer for the New York Times, the author of several cookbooks, including the New York Times Essential Cookbook, and had reached the top of her field. But she was determined to keep challenging herself and to forge a career that truly made her happy, and she made the bold leap to entrepreneurship. Neither of Amanda's parents went to college, and Amanda views this as an advantage -- she was not expected to conform to a set of rules or a particular path, so she carved her own.

I am replaying this episode because I think its message is so important. Patti Clark talks about how women lose their sense of self when they spend their lives taking care of and pleasing others. She talks about how women "get lost in the lives of others" and how to reconnect with ourselves, how to find our flow, and how to focus inward rather than outward. Her lesson is a critical part of Step One of My 7 Steps To Killing It Action Plan, Find Your Joy. Get the plan at womenkillingit.com