Fierce Feminine Leadership

It’s a common saying that rules are meant to be broken. Perhaps there is some wisdom in this quote in the sense that some people have found success by thinking out of the box, going the extra mile, and breaking old rules. This mindset is what we’re going to talk about today as I share an interview with Amanda Boleyn that was originally aired on the She Did It Her Way Podcast.

Christine Cooper is the Head of the Canadian Corporate Finance Division for BMO Financial Group and is known to develop and lead high-performing teams. She is customer-focused and a trusted advisor to her clients. Christine is also a speaker and fundraiser who supports community organizations by playing an active role as a board member. Keep Reading >> Christine joins me today to share how authenticity, openness, and transparency play a role in having a big career in a big company. She shares how to build strong teams and culture inside organizations, the significance of having diversity around leadership, and the importance of growing your network and expanding your skill set in preparation for that significant career move.   “A couple of things that I found that has always been helpful is being authentic, being myself, and asking lots of different questions.” - Christine Cooper   Today on the Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast: Being task-oriented vs. outcome-oriented How to quickly gain new trust when wo

While women face various challenges around the globe, there are those -- both young and old -- who go against the tide and stand up for what they believe in. In celebration of International Women’s Day, we’re going to honor women who found their voice and made it heard — women who acted on their convictions and literally changed the world. Keep Reading >> In this episode, I’m sharing five warrior queens — women and girls who inspire others to make a difference just like they did. I’m sharing their stories and achievements, what they fight for, and how they contributed to society to make this world a better and safer place for women.   “What I have found from working with women is that we need a good reason, a meaningful reason to do meaningful change.” - Eleanor Beaton   Today on the Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast: What led the teenage girl, Memory Banda from Malawi, to demand an end to child marriages and gender-based violence Her most important achievement that significantly impacted the safety of the

Stephanie Carullo is the Chief Operating Officer at Box, a cloud storage specialist, where she leads international expansions, and runs operations and go-to-marketing. With more than 25 years of experience in leading and growing billion-dollar businesses, Stephanie held previous leadership positions in international organizations such as the Vice President of education sales in the US at Apple and the Vice President of data center and virtualization sales at Cisco. Keep Reading >> Stephanie joins me to share why you need to forget about confidence and focus on conviction. She shares why your ultimate objective should be putting your customer at the center of your operations and why it’s crucial to quickly and proactively build networks as you get to know people and understand their roles in the organization. She also shares the critical element in startup organizations that should be a priority for leaders.   “Make sure you find something you love and give it your 150% because it will continue to serve you w

Michelle Crespi is the Executive Producer of three popular network television shows in Canada - The Marilyn Denis Show, The Social, and Your Morning. Her desire to work in television initially began at a young age. While still attending high school, she took an opportunity to work as an intern at a TV station. As she got older, her love and passion for the television industry grew and enabled her to turn her passion into a highly successful career. Keep Reading >> Michelle joins me today to share strategies on how to build a powerhouse career in a competitive industry. She also shares what helped her lead big teams that require her to produce five hours of daily TV., tips for creating excellent content, and her insights on why people show up to your show or event.   “Each job you have -- you’re auditioning for your next role.” - Michelle Crespi   Today on the Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast: Tasks and duties of an executive producer A good place to make mistakes in your career How to listen to yourself t

Erica Dhawan is the founder and CEO of Cotential, a global organization that helps transform businesses through collaboration, not only among team members, but also across various stakeholders. She is one of the most provocative business thinkers today, and the author of the book Get Big Things Done: The Power of Connectional Intelligence that ranked first on What Corporate America Is Reading. Erica continues to encourage business leaders to lead through a culture of innovation and provide results that guarantee global competitiveness and increasing value for their clients. Keep Reading >> Erica joins me on this episode to share how she saw the power of connectional intelligence as a young girl while watching her father interact with people at the bowling alley. She discusses the different types of connectors, how to enhance your connectional intelligence so you and your team can collaborate, work together more efficiently, and see results sooner than expected.   “Using your connectional intelligence is abo

No matter how confident we are, there are still moments when fierce feminine leaders will do anything in their power to avoid feeling judged. The fear of being judged can affect every aspect of our lives, but in order to perform at a high level, in business, and in life, you need to get over your fear of being judged. Keep Reading >> On today’s episode, I’m sharing why you need to let go of your fear of being judged, how being self-conscious can affect your ability to perform at your highest level, and how to recognize this limiting belief. I also share strategies to help you overcome your fear of being judged so that you can take the reigns and achieve your goals, dreams, and aspirations.   “Going outside your comfort zone is uncomfortable for people - and that is the point.” - Eleanor Beaton   Today on the Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast: Classic signs of being afraid of being judged How not properly processing your fears of being judged can hold you back, professionally and personally Various ways avo

  A former senior legal counsel at Facebook, Bari Williams is a diversity and inclusion expert who is also the Head of Operations at StubHub. On top of her powerhouse corporate career, Bari also advises startup organizations especially in matters of her expertise — diversity, and inclusion. Keep Reading >> Bari joins me today to share the power of adding value outside your core function. She shares why this ninja tactic is essential to develop the skill of sharing your narrative -- what you’re trying to do, how you’re trying to do it, and how you made all those jumps and the leaps. Bari also discusses how she built a thriving career inside organizations while establishing herself as a thought leader and building her personal brand.   “Once you’ve gotten your footing, always add value in another place within the business.” - Bari Williams   Today on the Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast: What got Bari interested and involved in advising startups How she expresses her creativity even though she’s not a desig

While taking up digital marketing in college, Amanda Tress was already doing her fitness business on the side. Today, Amanda is the creator of the best lifestyle-changing fitness program in the market called Faster Way to Fat Loss and the founder of a digital marketing agency, The Agency Side. Keep Reading >> Amanda joins me on this episode to share how to scale a seven-figure fitness business. She discusses the strategies that work in today’s digital marketing, how to work with other entrepreneurs to create profitable partnerships, and the mindset you need to focus and sustain your business consistently in the long run.   “Confidence comes after getting into forward motion.” - Amanda Tress   Today on the Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast: Why failing is significant to the growth and success of your business How her fitness program started What makes her fitness program the best of its kind Why she chose to work with women entrepreneur How she manages to boost and sustain her confidence level How she built

Throughout every industry, we frequently hear successful entrepreneurs say that it’s important to be authentic in the way you present yourself to the world. But, oftentimes, the reason why being authentic and being yourself is so important and the impact it can have on your career or business is rarely discussed. Keep Reading >> My guest today is Amanda Coolong. She is the Senior Digital Media Executive, content strategist, and serves as the Co-Chair and Head of Content for the company, Women in Technology International – a global organization and leading authority for women in the technology trade. Additionally, she is a founding partner and COO at Tech Zulu, an established podcaster, and has interviewed hundreds of the top leaders in the tech ecosystem for a wide variety of events including CES, South by Southwest, and Blog World. Amanda joins me today to share her insight and experience on how being you – unapologetically – and being unafraid to be seen, heard, and network with others can help you grow yo

Being a fierce feminine leader can sometimes be exhausting. High performing leaders often wear so many hats in our professional and personal live, thinking about other people’s needs and wants, that we often forget about our own. Whether you are running a business or climbing the corporate ladder, you need to stay in peak physical and emotional condition to continue to perform well. Keep Reading >> But, how do you keep in top physical condition to have the energy you need to stay at the top of your game? What does it take to have the energy and vitality to underscore your ambitions? As your professional career grows, the self-care needs that once worked for you may change and grow with you. My guest today, Kristen Nolan, is a powerhouse in the woman’s health industry. Kristen is a high-performance health mentor and fitness and metabolism expert that is passionate about helping busy professional women take control of their bodies and feel energized, physically fit, and confident in their business and life. We

Have you ever felt as though you were sabotaging your own success? Many women in business – especially those in leadership roles – unknowingly, unintentionally, unconsciously self-sabotage their potential for success and drastically limit the scope of what is possible for themselves in their careers, their income, and their lives. Keep Reading >> On today’s episode, I want to share some of the top five ways many high-performing, highly motivated, fierce feminine leaders tend to sabotage their own potential for success – and what you should do to avoid making the same mistakes. When you use the word ‘can’t’ – you make it true.   Today on the Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast: The first step to avoiding self-sabotaging actions and behaviors is to understand the most common ways it happens. You have a choice. The choice to deal with the discomfort of playing small, or the choice to deal with the pain and discomfort of being seen.   How to Avoid Self-Sabotaging Your Success: Instead of saying “can’t” – ask y

Kishau Rogers started her career as a programmer 24 years ago. Today, she is a serial technology entrepreneur and the CEO of Websmith Studio, Inc., a company that develops software for its partner organizations worldwide. Kishau is an active advisory board member of the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Engineering and WAAW Foundation. She has been honored with the Wells Fargo STEM Award and the Lyn McDermid Community Impact Award and spends her time building her tribe and working on tech projects that can solve real problems. Keep Reading >> Kishau joins me on today’s episode to share her mission to make thinking sexy again by applying computer science thinking principles as tools in building real solutions that matter. She talks about how leaders can effectively wrangle with complexity by hiring thinkers as well as her insights on the power of building tribes with the latter being the key to unlocking true diversity and inclusion, not only in the workplace but also in the world.   “If people

Elissa Shevinsky is a successful serial entrepreneur, cybersecurity expert, and public speaker and is the author of Lean Out: The Struggle for Gender Equality in Tech and Start-Up Culture. Driven by her love for making software, she focuses on cryptocurrency and the history of women in computer science.     Keep Reading >> Today, Elissa joins me to share the power of leaning out -- how to set yourself free by doing things your way as you create your own company, systems, and culture. She shares what allowed her to rise quickly in Silicon Valley and how her belief as a young child that ‘homes are protected by grandmothers with frying pans’ molded her outlook on the fierceness of women.   “I think the most reliable way to have a great work environment is to build it yourself.” - Elissa Shevinsky   Today on the Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast: The core experiences that shaped Elissa’s ability and willingness to challenge the status quo What inspired the creation of her book What Silicon Valley and Hollywoo

Katie Burke is the Chief People Officer of HubSpot, an organization famous for an exceptional culture that emphasizes inclusion, diversity, and support. Due to Katie’s efforts, Fortune.com included HubSpot in the list of “100 Best Workplaces for Women.” While Katie runs several teams in the human resources department, at a high level, her primary focus is the candidate and employee experience. Keep Reading >> Katie joins me on today’s episode to share how to advance your career as you network with senior leaders and the significant life-altering lessons she learned in her career journey. She talks about when the ideal time is to think about your next career move and how to create an outstanding culture that is female-friendly and supports inclusion and diversity.   “Do anything that shows that you’re willing to take the jump from intent to action.” - Katie Burke   Today on the Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast: Katie’s career journey from something she endured to something close to her heart What gave her

According to Ken Blanchard, “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” While dealing with supportive and genuinely constructive feedback is productive, learning to deal with annoying feedback takes discipline and practice. Mastering the art of tuning out this negativity is what makes the difference between a runner-up and a champion. Keep Reading >>   On today’s episode, I want to share five strategies that will help you tune out annoying feedback. I talk about the criteria of an annoying feedback and how to cope with it so it won’t get in the way of your productivity or keep you from moving forward.     “Feedback is sometimes a reflection of the other person’s own worldview.”     Today on the Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast:   What feedback is and when it happens Kinds of feedback people give How to cope by asking questions before redirecting the conversation How to use a fun outlet to process your negative thoughts and emotions Why turn to your role models when being bombarded with negativity How to dev

Debbie Halvorson Bush started her career in politics in 1993 when she ran and won as a clerk in the state of Illinois. She is the first female Senate Majority Leader of Illinois and a former representative for Illinois’ 11th Congressional District. Debbie is currently the President and CEO of Solutions Unlimited, a government relations firm, and American Eagle Logistics.   Keep Reading >> Debbie joins me today to share the values she has learned from her upbringing that gave her the confidence to play ball with the big boys in politics. She also shares the importance of time management, giving your all in everything you do, and remembering your values in the growth and success of your career and your business.     “You can’t do anything halfway. You have to throw yourself in, and you can’t rely on anybody else to do it for you.” - Debbie Halvorson Bush       Today on the Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast:   What prompted her to work in politics What she learned about herself in the process of getting in th

Vidya Narayanan is the CEO of UrbanAMA, an Ask-Me-Anything video platform where they take audio-visual interactions to the next level. Being part of the mobile evolution, Vidya worked at Motorola, Qualcomm, and Google where she led a team of 30 engineers and has issued 50 patents with 100 more pending applications. Keep Reading >>   Vidya joins me on today's’ episode to share some of the key factors that helped her develop confidence in making her voice heard at the table which led her to be a powerful voice and advocate for women in tech. She also shares the significance of being able to spot and overcome failure as a leader, what compelled her to create an app that’s both visual and interactive despite the popularity of existing social media platforms, and why it’s crucial and necessary to talk about diversity in technology at a young age.   “The most important thing is to make sure that we hear all the ideas being presented, be respectful in both directions, and that our voices are heard.” - Vidya Narayan

Have you experienced someone approach you and tell you it’s time for a website makeover? Have you ever felt the desire to revamp your website, but your gut tells you “not yet” as you prioritize other elements to grow your business? Having a visually appealing site that offers a smooth experience for visitors and guests is excellent, but you need to know when the timing is right for making this project a priority for your business or when it’s simply a distraction. Keep Reading >> On today’s episode, I’m going to share with you five lessons I learned as my team and I worked on the launch of our new website. I’m going to take you behind the scenes of the website redevelopment and talk about some helpful insights from the past that help us in our strategy and decision-making.   “Creating a new website can be a powerful distraction from doing the necessary work that actually grows a business.”    Today on the Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast: Reasons for holding off on the development of a new website The tim

Fact -- Life is beautiful! Reality -- Life’s not perfect. The question is how do you respond when things don’t go the way you planned? Focusing on the things you can control is crucial in your performance and success when dealing with variables that are out of your control. One of the things that will allow you to endure these challenges head-on is if you are resilient -- if you have mental toughness.   Keep Reading >> On today’s episode, I share three mental habits of the feeble-minded, what to do when you catch yourself being feeble-minded, and the secrets on how you can cultivate your inner toughness.   “The key is to catch yourself when you fall into one of these wimpy mental traps and flip your thinking around to the right way.”   Today on the Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast:   What it means to be feeble-minded What you need if you want excellent results What fuels consistent effort Why you should be on guard against hasty judgments or instinctive reactions One of the mental traps people commonly fa