Grace, Grit, Getting it Done!

If you've ever wondered why the less-qualified person got promoted while you were busy delivering results, this episode is for you. Host Lisa Gillette sits down with Executive Coach and former executive search consultant Angela Gardner, whose 30+ years advising C-suite executives and evaluating leadership talent have given her a front-row seat to how executive hiring and promotion decisions are really made. Angela reveals why hard work, technical expertise, and "keeping your head down" are not enough to advance into senior leadership. She shares what executive recruiters, hiring committees, and boards are actually looking for; from executive presence and strategic thinking to personal brand, visibility, emotional intelligence, and organizational fit. Together, Lisa and Angela also discuss why many women wait until they meet every qualification before pursuing opportunities, and how that mindset can delay career growth. Whether you're working toward your next promotion, building your executive presence, or preparing for the C-suite, this conversation is packed with practical strategies to help you stop waiting to be noticed and start positioning yourself for leadership. Be sure to check out Angela's new LinkedIn video series, Secrets… of a Search Consultant, where she shares behind-the-scenes perspectives on executive hiring, career strategy, leadership, and the often unseen dynamics that shape executive careers.   GUEST BIO Angela Gardner is an Executive Coach and Leadership Advisor with more than 30 years of experience partnering with C-suite executives and high-potential leaders to accelerate leadership growth and career success. She spent 18 years in executive search with Heidrick & Struggles, where she most recently led the Los Angeles office, and previously served as Head of Talent Acquisition for Fox Entertainment Group and Yahoo!. Today, Angela coaches senior leaders and executives to build authentic executive presence, navigate career transitions, and lead with confidence in an increasingly complex business environment.   GUEST CONTACT Website: www.ajg.consulting LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelajgardner/ Email: [email protected]   GUEST GIFT Continue the conversation with Angela's LinkedIn series, Secrets… of a Search Consultant, where she shares insider knowledge, executive hiring insights, and practical advice to help you stand out, get promoted, and confidently navigate your path to senior leadership. Connect with Angela and follow her series on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelajgardner/ Interested in taking your leadership to the next level? Visit www.ajg.consulting to learn more about Angela’s executive coaching services and to schedule a complimentary 30 minute consultation.  

Lisa speaks with Cathrine James, the visionary behind Sensational Living Training and Development. An internationally recognized speaker, coach, and trainer, Cathrine blends trauma-informed, science-backed methods with compassion to help individuals and leaders reconnect with their authentic selves, strengthen leadership, and create meaningful, resilient, purpose-driven lives.   Website:                              www.cathrinejames.com  Social Media:                LinkedIn:            https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathrine-james-ms-acc-ticc-a24040125/ Facebook           https://www.facebook.com/iamcathrinejames                   Instagram          https://www.instagram.com/iamcathrinejames/   Primary Contact:        [email protected]   Offer: Infographic for high-achieving women "5 Ways High Achieving Women De-Stress in 3 Minutes or Less" bit.ly/5ways2destress Bio: Cathrine James is the visionary behind Sensational Living Training and Development. An internationally recognized speaker, coach, and trainer, she blends trauma-informed, science-backed methods with compassion to help individuals and leaders reconnect with their authentic selves, strengthen leadership, and create meaningful, resilient, purpose-driven lives.

Feel Comfortable on Camera: Watch Yourself on Video Without Cringing  What if the reason you hate being on camera has nothing to do with how you actually look, or sound, and everything to do with negative self-talk? In this powerful episode of GRACE, GRIT, GETTING IT DONE! host Lisa Gillette interviews speaking confidence coach, author and podcast host Linda Ugelow. Linda breaks down why “the camera is a mirror” and how seeing yourself on video can expose your inner critic, past conditioning, and hidden fears.  Linda shares her signature teaching on how to shift from judgment to curiosity and cultivate true inner safety, by using video as a powerful tool for transformation, instead of self- criticism. If you want to be seen, heard, and taken seriously, this episode is for you!   Linda Ugelow is a trailblazer in the realm of speaking confidence. As a coach, podcast host, author of Delight in the Limelight and the Speaker Log & Journal, Linda helps people unlearn the fear of self-expression and discover the joy of being seen and heard. With a masters in expressive arts therapy and a decades long career as a principal dancer and vocalist, Linda’s work blends psychology, somatics, and vocal mastery. Linda offers a range of programs including Make Friends with the Lens, Watch Yourself on Video Without Cringing, Love and Transform Your Speaking Voice, and her signature 10-week program, The Delight in the Limelight Accelerator, all to support people at every stage of their visibility journey.     Download Linda’s gift “How I Finally Felt Relaxed on Camera Without Posting More Videos!”  https://lindaugelow.com/free-doc-relaxed-on-camera/     Connect with Linda https://lindaugelow.com/ [email protected] https://www.tiktok.com/@lindaugelow https://www.facebook.com/linda.ugelow/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindaugelow/ https://www.instagram.com/lindaugelow/ https://www.youtube.com/user/lindaugelow

: In this episode of GRACE, GRIT, GETTING IT DONE, host Lisa Gillette speaks with her guest Chris Holliday, Leadership and Communications Coach, about why the biggest skill gap in leadership today is self-awareness. Holliday outlines her signature program, Smart Leaders Get Wise, and shares her 3Q practice; a simple, powerful, and effective reset for leaders who want to stay centered, think clearly, and lead decisively. Holliday delivers practical strategies that cultivate self-awareness, unlocking clearer thinking, stronger decision making, and the capacity for innovation that uncertain times demand. Go to Chris Holliday’s website www.chrishollidaycoaching.com  to schedule your complimentary 30-minute consult to learn the 3Q Process. Chris Holliday is a leadership and communications coach, trainer, and facilitator with 12 years of experience working with execs who recognize their ultimate success depends on how well they lead, communicate, and relate to others. Through Smart Leaders Get Wise, she helps smart leaders navigate uncertainty by building the self-awareness muscle conventional leadership training overlooks. Part former marketing consultant, part former TV, film, and stage actor, she brings an uncommonly diverse lens to leadership development. Website:           www.chrishollidaycoaching.com LinkedIn:           https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-holliday-ep/

Host Lisa Gillette speaks with Leadership Alchemist DaNeece Sheldon, the Leadership Alchemist. DaNeece is a high-performance executive coach with 30 years of corporate experience. Founder of Sheldon Consultancy, LLC, she’s known for her raw, psychological approach to leadership. Focusing on identity, executive presence, influence, and ops/scaling leadership, DaNeece empowers emerging leaders, senior leaders, and senior leadership teams how to master corporate dynamics and own their seat at the table.   Special offer for podcast listeners:   Join DaNeece’s LEADERSHIP ALCHEMY Masterclass Saturday March 28, 2026 @ 4p ET Receive a special bonus discount of $199.99 instead of $249 for 2 hours of interactive instruction.    Link to register: https://portal.daneecesheldon.net/mar-masterclass-podcast     Connect with DeNeece:  DaNeeceSheldon.net www.tiktok.com/@daneecesheldon https://www.instagram.com/daneecesheldon/ https://www.facebook.com/daneece.sheldon.2025/       Connect with DeNeece:  DaNeeceSheldon.net www.tiktok.com/@daneecesheldon https://www.instagram.com/daneecesheldon/ https://www.facebook.com/daneece.sheldon.2025/  

What if your next level of leadership isn’t about doing more, but being more embodied? In this episode, my guest Dionisia Hatzis and I explore feminine leadership and why women rising into senior roles must trust their inner compass, own their expertise, and connect with their feminine power: fully, unapologetically, and without disconnecting from themselves. We talk about how Dionisia’s somatic work sharpens decision-making, strengthens executive presence, and anchors authority under pressure. Because women don’t need to over-perform or take on a toxic masculinity. They can step into their full feminine divine power, and inhabit their brilliance, fully and completely. For your 21-page free guidebook, chock full of Foundational Somatic Meditations, Exercises & Reflections, please visit: www.dionisiahatzis.com/innercompass. Linked IN:         https://www.linkedin.com/in/dionisiahatzis/ Instagram:         @journeysofrebirth Website:           www.dionisiahatzis.com FB:                    https://www.facebook.com/dionisiahatz YouTube:           https://www.youtube.com/@journeysofrebirth Guest Bio: Dionisia Hatzis is a certified somatic mind-body practitioner & facilitator and ordained Magdalene Priestess whose work blends ancient feminine wisdom with modern creative and somatic expression. As the Founder of SOMA Writing™ and The Sacred Cave ceremonial gatherings, she guides others into embodied storytelling, ritual, and remembrance of their inner power. She studied English Literature at Colgate University and has trained in yoga, Reiki, breath work, the rose mystery lineages and somatic mind-body practice. Her path has taken her across the world, from New York City to Southeast Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the high desert mountains of the American Southwest. Her work invites people to reconnect with the sacred, the sensual and the merging of the human and divine within.  

If you’ve ever wondered how you can be so strong in your career and yet still feel overwhelmed inside, you’ll want to listen to this one. Lisa speaks with Nancy Hyland, MA, LMFT and longtime friend, about the groundbreaking, experiential based therapy Internal Family Systems (IFS). IFS is like our brain’s group chat; that internal mix of competing inner voices, each with its own advice and agenda, that all human beings experience.  If you’re a high achieving woman who experiences overwhelm, perfectionism, self-criticism or feel like an imposter when you’re recognized and rewarded, this episode is for you!                 Nancy breaks down IFS in a simple, yet relatable way, explaining how those parts (the inner critic, the people pleaser, the high achiever) are all just trying to help…even when it doesn’t feel that way. Nancy explains how identifying and understanding our internal voices can reduce stress, quiet self-doubt and encourage us to show up as centered, compassionate, confident leaders. This episode is all about self-awareness, emotional clarity, and strengthening the inner leadership skills that help women thrive at work and protect their well-being. 

In this episode of GRACE, GRIT, GETTING IT DONE, host Lisa Gillette teaches a masterclass for every woman who has ever felt anxious about asking for what she deserves. No posturing. No apologizing. No strategies designed by men, because those don’t work for women. Lisa breaks down some of the step-by-step strategies she’s used to help hundreds of women successfully negotiate equal pay.  If you're a woman who is ready to successfully negotiate her next offer, this episode is for you. Learn: Overcome the #1 obstacle that can sabotage every negotiation. (And no, it’s not about building confidence.) A simple financial formula to quickly assess an offer, and how to successfully counter. A powerful mental reset to stay calm, focused, and persuasive when the stakes are high. Listen to this episode. It may very well change your financial future. Lisa is an equal pay activist, and ICF-certified Women's Leadership coach. Drawing on 25 years of experience in Entertainment Media, including a decade as an executive in Sports Broadcast, Lisa brings strategic expertise and real-world insight to her podcast and her business, BIGSKY Coaching & Consulting. SOCIAL MEDIA Linked IN:       www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-gillette/   Instagram:       bigskycoach_lisa_gillette Website:          www.bigsky.coach/ FB:                   https://www.facebook.com/bigskycoachlisa/ TikTok:             bigsky.coach_lisa   FREE GIFTS QUICK START        https://bigsky.coach/quickstart/ PAYCHECK              https://bit.ly/4kiQBR1 ASK                            https://bit.ly/44OCONj BALANCE              https://bit.ly/4gI4TZu             PAID OFFER Online course with negotiations playbook and monthly group coaching call https://big-sky-coaching-consulting.teachable.com/p/negotiate-like-a-leader PAID OFFER Salary Negotiations PLAYBOOK  https://big-sky-coaching-consulting.teachable.com/p/my-downloadable-279710

In this episode, host Lisa Gillette sits down with Zen Cryar DeBrücke, former Silicon Valley CEO and creator of the Internal Guidance System ® (IGS), a science-backed, somatic method to quiet the inner critic so you can lead with clarity. Zen unpacks how to: Recognize and shift fear-based thoughts before they sabotage your confidence Tell the difference between intuition and old programming Reconnect with your highest vision so you can lead yourself, and others Zen Cryar DeBrücke is an author, consultant, personal coach, and inspirational teacher who has worked with hundreds of business leaders and individuals to achieve success in every arena. As the developer of the Internal Guidance System ® (IGS), Zen has been blessed with the opportunity to build upon 20 years of research and study on the subject of spiritual practice, somatic guidance and manifestation. Special Offer: Re-Creating YOU! Play the Game!!!     Register for Zen’s signature 5-day Re-Creating YOU Game, a deep dive into unlocking your Internal Guidance System ® (IGS). Overcome overthinking. Achieve instant peace and move into a state of flow. Feel confident, clear, and composed; energized and empowered! Link to register:   therecreatingyougame.com/bigskycoaching/ SOCIAL MEDIA    https://www.facebook.com/zen.debrucke https:///www.instagram.com/zencdebrucke/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/zen-cryar-debrucke-07045166/ www.fearfreehuman.com

Nicole Venner is an intuitive leadership coach who supports people at the edge of personal and collective transformation.  Drawing on the Enneagram, IFS, somatic work, and other intuitive practices, Nicole helps clients and founder teams navigate thresholds; those in-between spaces where old identities fall away and something truer wants to emerge.   Schedule your complimentary 30-minute Clarity Call with Nicole. https://calendly.com/nicole-venner/30-minute-clarity-call?back=1&month=2025-09 Nicole is an accredited Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and through CTI (Coaches/Co-Active Training Institute), since 2011. She coaches people who believe self-leadership is an ongoing journey of connecting to one's whole system of being (mind, body, spirit, heart, purpose). Her clients include senior executives, new and emerging leaders, and many others all along the career and life spectrum. CONNECT with NICOLE LinkedIn:         https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolevenner/ Website:          https://www.nicolevenner.com/ Email:              [email protected].