“Connection is why we’re here. We are hardwired to connect with others; it’s what gives purpose and meaning to our lives, and without it, there is suffering.” – Brené Brown

There have been times in my life when I believed the best way to handle a project or situation was to do it alone, like a lone wolf. Sometimes that approach works, but when it becomes a habit, it doesn’t.

As Brené Brown says, we are wired for human connection. According to my guest today, Jennifer K. Hill, if we are not connected to ourselves, others, and our purpose, it can lead us down a path of disconnection—potentially turning us into what Jennifer humorously refers to as a “jerk.” Just kidding… or maybe not!

In our conversation, Jennifer and I discussed:

• How Jennifer is a “recovering jerk”
• Why human connection is so important to her
• What the Golden Path of Connection is
• How we can connect with ourselves, others, and our purpose
• How her company, Optimatch, helps in understanding human connection
• Jennifer’s free resources, including her book 101 Spiritual Tools for Uncertain Times and her podcast Regarding Consciousness
• Why fun, including watching Minions, is crucial

This conversation was incredibly enjoyable—you’ll hear us laughing throughout. I hope this episode brightens your day and, more importantly, inspires you to recognize the importance of human connection and take steps on your own connection journey.

Happy 200th Episode of Brave Women at Work! Can you believe it has been 200 episodes? I can’t! What began as part of my burnout healing journey has evolved into something that brings me immense joy. I want to thank you for being here, whether this is your first episode, you’ve listened to a few here and there, or you’ve been a longtime listener—I am so grateful for you. The show has been downloaded over 70,000 times in more than 30 countries. WOW!

To celebrate the 200th episode, I’m raffling off a copy of Brave Women at Work: Lessons in Leadership and Brave Women at Work: Stories of Resilience! All you need to do is email me at hello@bravewomenatwork.com, and I’ll enter your name into a random book raffle! I’ll draw the winners’ names by 10/31/2024, so email me today for a chance to win!

I have a special guest on the show today, Dr. Ronicka Briscoe. Dr. Ronicka was a contributing author in Brave Women at Work: Lessons in Leadership and is a welcome, wonderful addition to the Brave Women at Work community.

During our conversation, Ronicka and I discuss:

• What winning on the road means for working women.
• What prompted Ronicka to participate in Brave Women at Work: Lessons in Leadership.
• Ronicka’s Gallup Strengths assessment compared to mine, and how rare it is for our strengths to be so similar.
• The difference between Gallup Strengths and the Myers-Briggs assessment, and how Dr. Ronicka uses them with her coaching clients.
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• Ronicka’s leadership development programs, including The Winners Circle.

I have a wonderful repeat guest today, Churni Bhattacharya. Churni and I can talk for hours, and every time I speak with her, I feel like I’m talking with an old friend.

Churni has so much wisdom to share in today’s show and her prior appearance, episode 141, which launched on August 31st, 2023. You’ll definitely want to grab a notebook and listen to both of these shows twice to catch all of the great advice and information.

During our conversation, Churni and I talked about:

1. Her journey to becoming a contributing author in the women’s anthology, “Brave Women at Work: Lessons in Leadership.”
2. Churni’s learnings throughout the publication process.
3. How Churni has changed because of this experience.
4. What recommendations Churni has for anyone who wants to step out and try something new, whether it’s writing a book, starting a project, beginning a new job, and more.
5. Churni’s advice for other women navigating the IT/Digital Industry.
6. Her favorite book.
7. What’s on the horizon for Churni moving forward.

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:

1. Diana’s challenging past and how it forged who she is today.
2. The pivotal moment in Diana’s life when she knew she needed to run her own business and not stay solely focused on law.
3. What rising means to Diana.
4. What challenges Diana sees that prevent women from rising.
5. Books and other resources that Diana used in her own rising journey.
6. 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:

1. More of the juicy details behind the story of how Bryn and I met on a plane to Portugal.
2. The story of Steve’s recent passing.
3. The background story behind Bryn’s amazing investigative news, and documentary film/TV career.
4. Bryn’s relationship with yes, no, and now, how am I feeling today.
5. How Bryn’s relationship with her mom and how it has improved after her passing.
6. Bryn’s thoughts on burnout.
7. 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:

1. How Danielle entered the world of insurance
2. Why women need to have life insurance as part of their financial plan
3. A high-level overview of the two major types of insurance
4. The flexibility of insurance in comparison to a 401(k) plan where many of us have our retirement dollars going
5. The differences between group insurance through work and individual insurance policies
6. And 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:

1. What purpose strategy is and what prompted her work in this area.
2. What purpose means to Carol and how it compares to the idea of brand.
3. Social purpose movements Carol has led with Rockport shoes, the American Heart Association, Aflac, and more.
4. Carol’s key learnings in her years of experience in social-purpose work.
5. The benefits both individuals and companies alike diving into their purpose.