Finding Bravery At The Intersection Of Yes And No Amidst Loss With Bryn Freedman

Have you ever thought about leadership as a recipe? Imagine adding a dash of this or a pinch of that to create your own unique leadership style. What if you could learn the perfect leadership ingredients from the leaders you encounter throughout your career?I had never considered leadership in this way, but I love this delicious metaphor!My guest today, Mylene Barizo, is a powerful leader, communicator, connector, and now a best-selling author of Brave Women at Work: Lessons in Leadership. I invited Mylene to share her inspiring perspective on leadership and her key takeaways from being part of our recent book project on the topic.In this episode, Mylene and I discuss:●       What inspired her to contribute to Brave Women at Work: Lessons in Leadership●       What Mylene has learned throughout the process●       The key lessons she hopes readers will take from her chapter●       Mylene’s concept of the Leadership Recipe and how we can identify the ingredients in our own personal leadership style●       Insights about The Leadership Ladder, what it means to Mylene, and the services her company offers for both individuals and businesses

Are you ready for a firecracker of a conversation with my sister from another mister, Diana Patton, my guest today on the podcast? Diana and I met during an online presentation I was giving for another women’s organization, PINKK, led by another Brave Women at Work podcast guest, Athena Golianis. Athena sure knows how to connect people! There was energy immediately between Diana and I, and we knew we needed to be in one another’s orbits.During our conversation, Diana and I talked about:Diana’s challenging past and how it forged who she is today.The pivotal moment in Diana’s life when she knew she needed to run her own business and not stay solely focused on law.What rising means to Diana.What challenges Diana sees that prevent women from rising.Books and other resources that Diana used in her own rising journey.Her All Rise Live Summit here in Chi-town – Chicago!

Sorry to start a show so heavy, but this is one of the most real, raw, and brave interviews I have held in almost 200 episodes of Brave Women at Work.As I will explain in today’s show, I met Bryn Freedman, my guest today, in a most interesting way. On an airplane. What would unfold after that has shocked and awed me. I would like to thank Bryn for being on the show today, especially after losing her husband, Steve Freedman, just a few short weeks ago.Bryn has had an amazing career in investigative news, making documentaries, being a TED curator and coach, and simply helping make the world a better place with her non-profit, Voices4Freedom.I learned so much from Bryn and our conversation, and I could feel my emotions well up in my heart several times during the show. It was a mixture of sadness and grief for Bryn who lost Steve so unexpectedly, and gratitude for the time we spent together during our discussion.During our conversation, Bryn and I talked about:More of the juicy details behind the story of how Bryn and I met on a plane to Portugal.The story of Steve’s recent passing.The background story behind Bryn’s amazing investigative news, and documentary film/TV career.Bryn’s relationship with yes, no, and now, how am I feeling today.How Bryn’s relationship with her mom and how it has improved after her passing.Bryn’s thoughts on burnout.And more.

Ok, let’s start with the elephant in the room. Why am I talking about life insurance on this show? You may think – BORING with a capital B or next podcast! I am asking you to open your mind and listen in. To be a brave woman at work and in your life, I am a firm believer you need to have a solid financial foundation and an understanding of your finances. This includes insurance. You will also hear in the show that I am passionate about this topic because it hit my family, and my mother, directly. I grew up in a middle-class family in the 80’s. My mom and dad worked hard to give me a great childhood. Then, my dad was diagnosed at 40 years old with cancer. Two to three years later, the cancer came back after remission and was terminal. My dad ended up passing away at the early age of 48. My dad didn’t have enough life insurance, so my mom continued working 2 jobs until her late 50s to provide a life for my brother and me. I don’t want you to go through something similar. And while this story is not meant to scare you, it is meant to get your attention. By having enough life insurance on yourself and your loved ones, it frees up the power of choice if something unforeseen were to happen to you or someone else in your family. When I met my guest, Danielle Burch, today, I knew I needed to have her on my show. She also geeks out on life insurance and has seen her fair share of situations like my mom’s. During our conversation, Danielle and I chatted about:How Danielle entered the world of insuranceWhy women need to have life insurance as part of their financial planA high-level overview of the two major types of insuranceThe flexibility of insurance in comparison to a 401(k) plan where many of us have our retirement dollars goingThe differences between group insurance through work and individual insurance policiesAnd unbiased resources we can turn to learn more about insurance.Join us as we dive into a topic that is often overlooked. One disclaimer about today’s podcast is that Danielle and I are not financial advisors or insurance agents. We are not referring individual products and services to you. This podcast should be taken as educational. Please speak with a trusted financial advisor or insurance agent to determine the best course of action for your situation.

Have you ever thought about your purpose and what that means? What about the company you either work for or run? What is its purpose? According to the Oxford Dictionary, the definition of purpose is “the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.” My guest today, Carol Cone, has been called the purpose queen and understands this at a cellular level. As you will hear about in her bio, Carol has worked with companies such as Rockport, Reebok, Dove, Aflac, and more. During our conversation, Carol and I chatted about:What purpose strategy is and what prompted her work in this area.What purpose means to Carol and how it compares to the idea of brand.Social purpose movements Carol has led with Rockport shoes, the American Heart Association, Aflac, and more.Carol’s key learnings in her years of experience in social-purpose work.The benefits both individuals and companies alike diving into their purpose.

As a Type-A overachiever and recovering perfectionist, I will come clean about something:I often override my body’s signals to get one more thing done. How does this look in real life? • It may be squeezing in another hour of work when I am tired and know I should go to bed.• It may be me being consistently late for appointments which causes my heart to race.• It may be me crashing into the couch on Friday evenings because I didn't take enough breaks for rest and play during the week. Does this resonate? When we wear the badge of busy, we can often neglect our health and well-being. My guest today, Dr. Susan Lovelle, explains why it is time for us to invest in our health and well-being as much as we do in our careers. During our conversation, Dr. Susan and I chatted about:The building blocks for optimized health and well-beingThe signs and symptoms that may pop up when your well-being is out of whackWhat benefits are for us and our companies when we are in a balanced state of performanceWhat the LeanHormone Metabolic Reset is and how it worksWhat the Hormones in Heels Masterclass is and how it leads deeper into Dr. Susan’s workAnd we touched on Dr. Susan’s book, Thrive: The Five-Week Guide to Mastering Your Energy at Any AgeThere’s a lot of powerful information that we packed into this interview, so listen in!

It's a big day at Brave Women at Work! I am excited because I have my first Scottish guest and Australian resident, Mags Bell, joining me today. Besides having a beautiful accent and being a wonderful conversationalist, Mags brings the goods during our show. She is very knowledgeable on all things related to mindset and confidence, which are foundational for self-aware leadership. Listen in as Mags explains her easy-to-understand models and tools. You’ll want to take notes during this conversation or listen to the show twice! During our conversation, Mags and I discussed:What led Mags to go from a corporate role to coaching and keynote speaking.Her early ego journey in management and how it has changed over time.What being in the movie means and how we can snap out of it to a more balanced ego.Her LeadingMe® model and how it is critical to the middle ego path in leadership.The 4R’s Release Model® and how it helps us silence our inner critics and Imposter Syndrome.And other ways we can release our “shite” aka shit to be better leaders.

To be a strong leader and a brave woman at work, I am confident that we need to know what our strengths are and how to harness them. I don’t know about you, but for the longest time I thought I needed to shore up my weaknesses to be “right” for a particular role. On top of that, I was convinced I had to know everything about the role too, all the ins and outs.Wrong. After over 20 years in corporate, I have learned that we all have a balance sheet of strengths and weaknesses. I need to double-down on my strengths, not waste time trying to shore up my weaknesses. In place of doing that, I need to find people in my team that complement my strengths. Maybe these team members are strong in my areas of weakness. And no, I cannot know everything about a job.My guest today, Dr. Cheryl Lovell, helps me further understand the CliftonStrengths Assessment by the Gallup Organization. This was an awesome conversation, and one I am sure you will enjoy.During our conversation, Dr. Cheryl and I chatted about:What the CliftonStrengths assessment is and why knowing our strengths is importantIf we need to take the assessment again after taking it the first timeWhat we do next with our results to improve our personal and professional livesHow leaders and teams can use CliftonStrengths to their advantageThe ROI of the CliftonStrengths assessmentHow the assessment can help you navigate challenging personal and professional relationships

Have you ever wondered if we can get better and more high-performing as leaders and teams with time? Like a fine wine? With the proper ingredients, support from our companies, and the work we do on ourselves, we can reach a new level of emotional maturity. With this emotional maturity, we don’t stand behind our egos as they lead. We stand with humility, grace, self-respect, and self-trust. That’s the kind of leader I want to be, and I’m sure that’s the type of leader you want to be, too.My guest today, Margie Oleson, and I chatted about a new topic: the leadership waterline. I had never thought about leadership in this way, and it was fascinating for me to learn. Like I said in our conversation, chatting with Margie was like taking a master’s class in leadership!During our conversation, Margie and I discussed:Her background and how it contributes to the work she does todayThe key attributes of a high-performing leader and teamWhat holds companies back from fostering more high-performing teamsWhat the leadership waterline is and how we can lower oursWhat neuroscience has to do with all of thisHow Margie’s Top Accelerator Program helps leaders make changes and have them stick

Have you ever been afraid to speak up at work for fear of being labeled bossy, pushy, or aggressive?I have, and for the longest time, I stayed quiet because of it. I was too busy criticizing my own thoughts and worrying about what others thought, rather than sharing my ideas, asking questions, or stating my opinions based on my education and experience.When I have shared my opinions, asked questions, or presented ideas, I've been labeled as "too this or that," but it doesn't stop me anymore. I've probably even been called a bitch behind my back, and that's okay. My guest today, Dr. Alessandra Wall, and I discuss how to be a powerhouse, avoid negative labels, and stop worrying about backlash.During our conversation, Dr. Alessandra and I discuss:●       Her transition from a full-time counseling practice to her work as an executive coach for women●       What led her to start her company, Noteworthy●       The importance of visibility for women who want to get promoted●       How women can be visible and own their authority without being called a bitch●       The science behind this process●       The internal resistance that executive women face when seeking visibility and authority, and how to overcome it●       The systems that executive women need to put in place●       How Dr. Alessandra works with her female executive clientsBelieve me, I learned some valuable lessons during this conversation that I wish I had known when whispers of "she’s a bitch" were being said behind my back. Let’s learn together how to artfully gain visibility, get promoted, and own our authority. Shall we?