121 / Glass Ceilings & Sticky Floors with Erica Rooney

Codependency is not just happening at home. It’s happening in our professional lives, our work environments and relationships too. But I’m not so sure we’re hearing much about that, so we’re going to dive into the topic of codependency at work on this episode of This Is Woman’s Work. Amina AlTai is a holistic business and career coach, proud immigrant and chronic illness advocate and our guest on today’s episode. In addition to her one-on-one work with forward thinking and notable leaders, executives and founders, Amina was also a founding coach for Chief (the women’s leadership organization) and led the coaching division for Inspire Justice (which trains entertainment organizations and celebrities). She is an Entrepreneur Magazine expert-in-residence, a Forbes contributor and was named one of Success Magazine’s Women of Influence. Her debut book, The Ambition Trap: A Blueprint for Releasing Hustle, Finding Purpose and Driving Change will launch in Spring 2025.  Here are a few things to keep in mind so we don’t create codependency in our work lives: Our strengths taken too far can easily become our greatest weakness There is a difference between empowering people and enabling them Being needed is not the same as being valued Connect with Amina: Website: https://aminaaltai.com/  IG: https://www.instagram.com/aminaaltai  FB: https://www.facebook.com/aminaaltai  Change Your Life Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/amina-change-your-life/id1669584137  Like what you heard? Please rate and review  Thanks to our This Is Woman’s Work Sponsor: Breathe better with AirDoctor, the air purifier that filters out 99.99% of dangerous contaminants (allergens, pollen, pet dander, dust mites, mold spores and even bacteria and viruses) so your lungs don’t have to. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use my promo code: TIWW to get up to $300 OFF air purifiers and a free 3 year warranty (and additional $84 value).

We’re talking about money! More specifically, we’re going to talk about money in our romantic relationships, because let’s face it – love is not all you need.  Money is the 3rd wheel in many relationships. And it’s not really about money, it’s the habits, goals, and beliefs – because when any of those are not the same, it causes stress in that relationship. Don’t believe me? Well, 89% of people polled (according to Forbes) believe that financial stability is necessary for a happy and successful relationship. I’ve invited Anna N’Jie-Konte, President of Re-Envision Wealth as our guest. Anna is a passionate believer in the empowerment and economic liberation of women and minorities and has been honored as an Investopedia Top 100 Financial Advisor, been named one of 2023’s “Hot List” by Investment News and 10 “Young Advisors to Watch” by Financial Advisor Magazine. Anna also serves on the advisory board of Wealth.com. as a CFP Board Ambassador, and as a board member of the Finserv Foundation. We must have these money conversations early and often. Because money doesn’t buy love, but it sure can bankrupt a relationship – so it’s time to build a healthy, productive, empowered relationship with your finances and then bring that to your relationships. Connect with Anna: Website: www.re-envisionwealth.com  Newsletter: www.annanjiekonte.com/signup  IG: @anjiekonte Join the Club: https://bit.ly/FinancialPowerhouseTheClub The Club is an amazing, no-fluff community for first-gen women who want to feel financially fluent and break negative financial cycles. Whether you’re just getting started or are a seasoned investor- this is for you. Like what you heard? Please rate and review  Thanks to our This Is Woman’s Work Sponsor: If you’re looking for the next best thing to a no-bra day, go to cakesbody.com and use my promo code TIWW for 10% off your Lounge Layer Bra (whether you order 1 or 5 of them). And then thank me later.

Is success about how much you make? Is it about being influential? Is it about having it all?  How do we, how do YOU, define success? Here to help us answer that question is Stella Grizont, the Author of The Work Happiness Method, an Executive Coach, one of the first 150 people in the world to earn a Master’s in Applied Positive Psychology (aka the science of happiness) from the University of Pennsylvania, and a leading happiness expert according to Time Magazine. Leveraging research from positive psychology, neuroscience, and leadership, Stella helps people identify their vision of success and make strides towards achieving it -- in their career and in life. Success needs to first be defined in order to be achieved. And then acknowledged and celebrated in order to be experienced. Otherwise we’re just chasing an elusive moving target, and I can tell you from experience that that is fucking exhausting. Create YOUR success – define it, achieve it, celebrate it. Connect with Stella: Website: www.stellagrizont.com  Book: https://www.stellagrizont.com/work-happiness-method-book  IG: https://www.instagram.com/stellagrizont/  Free Vision Generator Resource: www.visiongenerator.com  Like what you heard? Please rate and review  Thanks to our This Is Woman’s Work Sponsor: Once I got these leggings, I switched my loyalty to LNDR. I’m not sure what witchcraft was used to create their uber soft, extremely sculpting leggings, but I’m here for it. Go to lndr.com and use promo code TIWW to get 20% off. (And here’s the campaign video I mentioned - it’s SO GOOD!)

What would it look like if you became unapologetically BOLD? What would be different? And how do we do it? We’re rereleasing one of our favorite episodes with THE Boldness Coach, Vaneese Johnson as she is a highly accomplished and renowned professional in the field of coaching and has established herself as a trusted expert in empowering women to claim their boldness and achieve unprecedented success. A truth teller and transformation instigator, she challenges us to step out of our comfort zones and embrace our full potential. And you know I’m here for all of that. Vaneese says “If you want a better quality of life, then update it your damn self!” (now that’s an example of being bold!) It’s time for all of us to choose boldness! Connect with Vaneese and access resources: Website: https://www.theboldnesscoach.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/theboldnesscoach/ Book: https://www.theboldnesscoach.com/boldismsbook Download your FREE copy of 4 beliefs: https://www.theboldnesscoach.com/4beliefs Thanks to our This Is Woman’s Work Sponsor: Get yourself hydrated by going to heyfreya.co and use my code TIWW to get yourself 25% off Quench and all their other amazing products!

This topic is about 10-20 years too late for me, but this is the episode I wish I could have heard when I needed it most. And I hope it will find some of you at just the right time, or at the very least will be an episode you can forward to someone you love. Because letting go is an important lesson for all of us, I’ve invited Dr. Cortney Warren to be our guest. She’s an award-winning Board-Certified Clinical Psychologist, author, and Adjunct Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at UNLV. She is an expert on self-deception, romantic relationships and love addiction. Known for her ability to distill complex psychological concepts into easily applicable advice, Dr. Cortney’s latest book, Letting Go of Your Ex: CBT Skills to Heal the Pain of a Breakup and Overcome Love Addiction explores breakups and how to heal from them.  Let’s not waste any more time pining away and holding on to relationships and people that aren’t meant for us.  If the choice is letting go of them, or letting go of yourself… if it costs you them or it costs you you – choose you over everything. And everyone. Every single time. Connect with Cortney: Website: https://drcortney.com/ Book: https://drcortney.com/published-books-publications/  IG: https://www.instagram.com/drcortneywarren/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drcortneywarren X: https://twitter.com/DrCortneyWarren LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcortney/  FB: https://www.facebook.com/CortneySWarren  TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpEeSa6zBTE Like what you heard? Please rate and review  Thanks to our This Is Woman’s Work Sponsor: Bamboo fabric that is perfectly soft, temperature regulating, machine washable and committed to ethical production, Cozy Earth checks all the boxes, and is now on every bed in my house. Get your sheets (and more) by visiting cozyearth.com and use my code NICOLEKALIL to get 40% off!

There are a lot of women out there that are in business. In fact, around 40% of all US based businesses are owned by women, and these businesses employ around 10 million workers. As it stands today, women are more likely to start a business than men are. Which makes you brave. Because running a business in any form and at any scale is hard. Each and every stage has its own challenges, and those challenges evolve, they don’t disappear. On this episode I share my lessons on how to treat your business like a business, so that you can protect that business AND yourself. So you can not just look like a real business, but actually be one, so you can go into your work with confidence and credibility, and so your business challenges don’t bleed into and become your personal challenges too. As the quote says: treat your business like a business and it’ll pay you like one. Treat your business like a hobby and it’ll cost you like one. Know your value. Find your people. Give greatly and protect fiercely.  Like what you heard? Please rate and review  Thanks to our This Is Woman’s Work Sponsor: Being a business owner can feel lonely, but there’s no valid reason to “go it alone”. You don’t have to! And if you’re feeling alone, join me for our BE hive retreats… you’ll come out buzzing, I promise. Learn more by visiting https://forms.gle/qaKN8caGfejWRPvg8  Use Square for billing, contracts, recurring invoices, and more! It’s my go-to resource for all my business needs and there are a ton of great tools you can leverage to set your business up like a business. Use this link and you can get free processing on your first $1,000 in sales!

I could spend HOURS every single day going down the rabbit hole of all the different resources, apps, and tools that are out there and somehow still not know what the best, right answer is. And even if I did figure it out, it would only be a matter of time before something new, shiny, or better came along. On this episode of This Is Woman’s Work we’re going to talk about the marketing and scaling side of being in business, in hopes that together, we can get out of that rabbit hole and move toward what matters most. We’re joined by Brittni Schroeder, business coach, social media expert, and marketing strategist. She coaches coaches and other entrepreneurs on how to automate their business, create systems, convert funnels, and scale to 6 figures and beyond.  Brittni offers all sorts of business resources for entrepreneurs from individual coaching to The Meeting Place membership, a top to bottom framework for entrepreneurs to grow and scale their business, and she’s here to help us ALL work less and make more. If you’re looking to build your email list and website, or if you’re thinking about rebranding or taking your existing list and website to the next level, this episode is for you! Connect with Brittni: Website: www.brittnischroeder.com  IG: www.instagram.com/brittni.schroeder  FB: www.facebook.com/groups/redefineyourbiz  LI: www.linkedin.com/in/brittnischroeder  P: www.pinterest.com/brittnijo  To learn more about Brittni’s business membership program, The Meeting Place, visit https://brittnischroeder.com/membership and use promo code: NICOLE for a 15% discount Like what you heard? Please rate and review  Thanks to our This Is Woman’s Work Sponsor: Your premier talent partner, Claire Myers Consulting will work with you to source, screen, interview and manage the selection process for any open role in your organization. Go to clairemyersconsulting.com/tiww to get a FREE 15 minute consultation call AND 10% off your first placement!

We’re covering a topic that falls into the category of “we’ve covered it before but it’s worth repeating”. Because I know most, if not all, women struggle with setting and communicating boundaries as it flies in the face of our people-pleasing, helpful and perfectionist tendencies. So we’re going to talk about Boundaries, again, but we’re going to focus more on the actual words and what to say. Amy Green Smith joins us again for her last episode in our 4-part series (if you haven’t listened to our last three episodes, I’d highly encourage you to do that!) Communicating boundaries in a productive and responsible way is going to require practice. Probably lots and lots of practice, given however many years we’ve spent not communicating them. Don’t wait for your mic drop moment – don’t expect perfection – don’t spend endless amounts of time worrying about what the other person thinks about your boundary – just start practicing. Because that’s how you get good at anything. Connect with Amy: Grab Amy's FREE-SOURCES at: https://amygreensmith.com/free       Only 2 spots available in Amy’s Signature Worthy Program! To learn more visit  https://amygreensmith.com/worthy  Like what you heard? Please rate and review  Thanks to our This Is Woman’s Work Sponsor: To learn more about Snooze Fest and our other reTREATS hosted by Nicole Kalil, join my community or sign up here to confirm your interest and get additional information: https://forms.gle/NgLvgfVS7B91FUJE6

We’re releasing the 200th episode of This Is Woman’s Work!! That’s 200 topics, in just over 4 years, and let me tell you, it’s been a wild ride. I love this thing that I get to do. And I love that you’re doing it with me.  THANK YOU… I am forever grateful! So, in celebration of 200 episodes, I’m taking a break from recording and releasing a classic episode on the topic of Burnout – some of us may need it more than others (ME, it’s me!) – but I KNOW we’ll all benefit from hearing it. Cait Donovan is a leading burnout expert, author of The Bouncebackability Factor and host of “Fried. The Burnout Podcast”. Run down. Drained. Exhausted. Worn Out. Nothing left in the tank. Ever wonder why there are so many ways of saying burnout? It’s probably because far too many of us are experiencing this far too often. And let’s be real, communicating healthy boundaries is hardest when you’re stressed and overwhelmed. It’s also when it’s most important. So let’s do it together. Less perfection, more REAL. Less martyr, more grace. Less worry, more trust. Less other people’s expectations, more honoring ourselves. That feels like woman’s work to me. Connect with Cait: Website: https://www.caitdonovan.com/  IG: https://www.instagram.com/caitdonovanspeaks/  Like what you heard? Please rate and review  Thanks to our This Is Woman’s Work Sponsor: To get the best, most comfortable leggings I’ve ever worn (and rarely take off), go to http://lndr.com/ and use promo code TIWW to get 20% off! I’m obsess with LNDR and agree with them that your butt deserves the best.

If you’re tuning in for the first time, or just because this topic was of interest to you, I want to point out that this is Part 2 of our conversation on Fear & Failure, so if you didn’t listen to part 1 just yet, I’d encourage you to go back to episode 197 from last week and start there. If you’ve already listened to Part 1, then I’m going to assume you’re here because you’ve been not-so-patiently waiting for the completion of this conversation… and I can tell you it’ll be worth the wait. I’m joined by Amy Green Smith, life coach, hypnotherapist, speaker, and communication expert. There is so much I could say about Amy, but I’m going to share something she has on her website that gave me the chills and brought tears to my eyes because it’s so REAL, it’s so relevant, and it’s so HER – she says “I was fucking DONE being motivated from a place of guilt and fear. I realized that if push came to shove and I had to decide between making my family happy or making me happy, I CHOSE ME”. I feel everything about that, deeply.  No matter what, I don’t care what is happening or what you’re going thru, you are worthy and valuable. Neither fear nor failure can change that. Connect with Amy: Grab Amy's FREE-SOURCES and check out her 1:1 “Worthy” Coaching Program at: https://amygreensmith.com       IG: http://instagram.com/heyamygreensmith FB: http://facebook.com/heyamygreensmith LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heyamygreensmith X: http://twitter.com/heyamygreen Like what you heard? Please rate and review  Thanks to our This Is Woman’s Work Sponsor: To learn more about Snooze Fest and our other reTREATS hosted by Nicole Kalil, join my community or sign up here to confirm your interest and get additional information: https://forms.gle/NgLvgfVS7B91FUJE6