Her Career Unplugged | Career Advice for Women, Leadership & Real Stories

After 11 years of doing everything right, Shannon Baird walked into a Valentine's Day meeting expecting a raise and walked out laid off. Instead of jumping back into another corporate role, she built the Corporate Exit Method, a framework that helps burned-out corporate women, especially moms, leave on their own terms.Joanne and Vimala talk with Shannon about how to tell a bad season at work from a real sign it's time to leave, why burnout is a signal rather than the problem, and the "socially transmitted diseases" corporate culture teaches high-achieving women. Shannon explains why finances are really feelings, how to start a side business with your "slice of genius" without burning out, and why she'd go all in on Substack today. She also walks through the four phases of her method: see the truth, get your numbers, build your income, and make the transition.Your one step this week: figure out your freedom number, the minimum you need each month to leave corporate.Connect with Shannon:https://theshannonbaird.com/https://shannonbaird.substack.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonbaird/Show notes and full transcript: https://hercareerunplugged.com/episodes/ep-017

A high school counselor once asked Shellee Howard's son why he'd ever want to be a doctor. Shellee took it from there, and he ended up at Harvard on a full ride. Then a stranger at his graduation asked for her help, and College Ready was born.Joanne and Vimala sit down with Shellee Howard, founder and CEO of College Ready and the 2026 Global Educational Consultant of the Year, to talk about:- Going from a shy kid to a serial entrepreneur (College Ready is her seventh business)- The bet with her son that became a book, a bestseller within 24 hours- Why podcasting beat 32 other marketing techniques for reaching busy parents- Whether gender really holds women back in business- What families need to know about AI and college essays- Why "optional" on a scholarship application never really means optionalCollege is a business, so approach it like one, not like a trophy.Connect with Shellee:Free clarity call + the four buckets of money: https://collegereadyplan.infoCollege Ready: https://collegereadyplan.comShow notes and full transcript: https://hercareerunplugged.com/episodes/ep-016If this episode spoke to you, follow the show and leave a rating. It helps other women find these conversations.

Dr. Gabrielle Pelicci spent 25 years in wellness, hospitality, and higher ed before becoming a TEDx speaker, 3x author, and book coach. She's here to demystify what every woman in tech (and beyond) is avoiding: telling your real story. In this conversation, Gabby walks us through why a book isn't about perfect prose. It's about visibility, voice, and courage. We talk about the 90-day sprint, why AI is a tool not a threat, how to use voice memos when English isn't your first language, and the concrete playbook that turns a manuscript into TED Talks and paid keynotes. Plus: Joanne realizes her next career move in real time. No fluff. Just honest talk about getting your ideas out of your head and into the world.

What happens when you do everything right and the career you built still stops feeling like yours?Joanne and Vimala talk with career coach Erica Rivera, who spent years reading resumes inside Indeed and Google until a November 2023 layoff email changed everything. Erica explains why women so often treat a layoff as a personal failure, and shares the "career story walkthrough" she uses to separate what actually happened from the story you're telling yourself.In this episode:• The moment the playbook broke, and handing the layoff email to her husband to read• Why "I'm the problem" is the wrong story• Taking inventory of your skills in a job market reshaped by AI• How rejection pushed Erica to go all in on coaching and move her family abroad• A laid-off tech professional whose hand-drawn vegetable cards are now sold in eight Colorado stores• Fear of rejection, and the interviews Joanne and Vimala once skipped• Getting comfortable being seen on LinkedIn, at your own pace• Rapid fire: the worst career advice, "burn down the lane," and the resume myths that need to dieA layoff is an event, not an identity.Connect with Erica: https://ericariveracoaching.com | https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-rivera-recruiter/Show notes: https://hercareerunplugged.com/episodes/ep-014Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hercareerunpluggedInstagram: @hercareerunpluggedEnjoying the show? Follow and leave a rating. It helps more women find us.

Success shouldn't cost you your health. Dr. Judy Wright, physician, TEDx speaker, and sustainable success strategist, joins Joanne and Vimala to unpack her P.A.C.E. method: Pause, Audit, Calibrate, Elevate. After burning out multiple times and facing a cancer diagnosis, Dr. Judy stopped asking "why is this job so hard" and started asking "how did I get here again." This episode digs into self-leadership vs. self-care, why saying no more makes your yeses count, and how high-achieving women can build success that's actually built to last. Rapid-fire round included. Stay Unplugged.

Ever feel like your work should speak for itself, but somehow no one's listening? Bry Bird used to feel invisible in her industry too, until she stopped trying to blend in and started treating her personal brand like the business it actually is. Now she's an award-winning creative strategist based in Essex, England, with press features and a client roster to match; and she did it in a matter of months, not years.If you've ever wondered whether visibility is worth the effort, or you've been quietly building without seeing results, this episode is your playbook.In this episode, we cover:Why Bry stopped hiding her neurodivergence and how it became her competitive advantageThe three-part ecosystem (brand, website, social) that judges and clients actually noticeWhat award judges are really evaluating when they choose who to invest inHow to tell if your content is working even when engagement looks quietWhy rest and mental health days are a business investment, not a luxuryConnect with Bry: hithisisbry.com | @hithisisbry on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and SubstackFollow Her Career Unplugged on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. New conversations drop every two weeks.

Lynne Ghelfi built a career in one of the most male-dominated industries out there, the automotive world, going from stay-at-home mom to top-three car salesperson to marketing director in under two years. Now a John Maxwell certified coach, she's writing "No Talent Required: The Twelve Leadership Practices That Drive Culture, Trust, and Productivity."In this episode, Lynne breaks down why leadership isn't a title, it's a mindset. We talk personality styles (the Maxwell DISC method), the "face the mirror" practice for resetting your attitude, and the story about her mom that taught her real courage in leadership. Plus: her biggest career risk, her leadership superpower, and the one sentence she'd put on a billboard for every woman in automotive.If you've ever doubted whether you're "leader material," this one's for you.

You've stayed in a job way past its expiration date. You've told yourself "this is just how it is." This episode is for you.Joanne and Vimala sit down with Allison Hemmings, the Career Glow-Up Coach and founder of Newo Executive Solutions. Allison built a community of over 22,000 executive women, coached thousands into six-figure negotiations, and then sold her house, her car, and her comfort zone to move to Costa Rica. She talks about losing both her parents within a year, her mom's last words to "live your life," and why she couldn't bring her old business with her when she started over.If you've ever stayed somewhere because it felt safer than starting over, this conversation will hit close to home.In this episode:Why comfort zones are the biggest thing holding women back mid-careerThe "career as real estate" framework for negotiating what you're actually worthWhy loyalty to a company rarely gets returnedGrief, reinvention, and deciding to live without limitationsGetting off the struggle bus for goodFollow Her Career Unplugged on Spotify, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn for new episodes.

You've been ghosted by recruiters. You've sent fifty applications into a black hole. You've wondered if the job market is broken or if it's just you.This week we sit down with Jodi Gorenstein, a 20+ year HR leader who spent over a decade at American Express before launching HR Super Connector, a job search consultancy she calls her passion project. Jodi has helped clients at every level, from recent grads to C-suite executives, get seen, get interviews, and get better offers than the ones they started with.Jodi walks us through the real mechanics of a modern job search: why a role posted on LinkedIn might already be filled, how to reach out to a stranger without sounding desperate, and why the second follow-up matters more than the first. She also gets personal about being let go from a job she loved and realizing it was the best thing that ever happened to her career.If you've ever felt invisible in a stack of applicants, or wondered whether networking is really worth the discomfort, this conversation is your playbook.In this episode:How Jodi found her way into HR after a "circuitous," self-doubting startWhy being laid off from American Express opened her biggest opportunityThe three phases of a job search: get ready, get seen, land the jobWhy vague networking asks fail, and what to say insteadHow to write your own LinkedIn testimonial request (and why it works better)The follow-up rule that gets resumes off the pile and into the right handsBest and worst career advice, rapid-fire styleFollow Her Career Unplugged on Spotify, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn for new episodes.

She left Tanzania at 15 with no safety net and no plan B. Today she's one of the highest-ranking women of color to serve as VP at IBM.Shelmina Abji, author of Show Your Worth and founder of ShowYourWorth.ai, joins us to break down how she built her career strategy from the ground up, and how you can too.If you've ever kept your head down instead of speaking up, or wondered if you need a mentor or a sponsor, this conversation will shift how you think about your own path.We get into:Defining success on your own termsMentor vs. sponsor, and when you need eachWhy leadership branding isn't self-promotionThe voice of fear vs. the voice of courageThe "power quotient" conceptFollow Her Career Unplugged wherever you listen for more real talk on the gap between the polished narrative and the actual career.