The Shameless Mom Academy

Over the last few years, I've been developing curriculum and resources that help leaders establish trust with their teams and enable teammates to build trust with one another.  Because different people have different needs around trust, it can feel tricky to know exactly the right formula to help build trust with others.  In spite of that, there are plenty of small things you can do every single day to help people understand who you are, how you operate, how you hold space for others, and how you navigate messiness that will inevitably help you build trust in any relationship. When people understand these pieces of you, they have the information they need to know if you are someone they can trust over the long haul.  In this episode, we explore what a lack of trust looks like in an organization (perhaps this will look and feel familiar to you?).  We talk about why trust is a foundational element required for high performance and a healthy culture, and what outcomes you can expect when you take the time to build trust within a team environment. Then, I give you simple, practical steps you can take to start building more trust today, no matter the current state of your team or organization.  There is a common misconception that trust and the vulnerability required to build it are “soft,” but I would like to invite you to view trust as one of your key strategies for building authentic, meaningful relationships that yield great outcomes.   Episode Highlights: 00:00 Building Trust: An Introduction 02:49 The Importance of Trust in Teams 06:05 Signs of a Lack of Trust 12:06 Leadership's Role in Trust Building 15:51 Practical Steps to Build Trust 21:05 The Outcomes of Teams that Trust  25:47 How to Run Team Trust Diagnostics 29:59 Connecting Values Around Trust to Action Links Mentioned: Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I was recently sitting in one of my Change Leadership classes for my Master's degree in Organizational Leadership, and my teacher asked us, “What would it look like if, as change leaders, we were to suspend certainty more often?”  I immediately made a note to myself, “podcast episode on suspending certainty!”  As someone who craves certainty but understands that nothing is certain, I often think about becoming more comfortable with impermanence.  I've never heard this referred to as “suspending certainty”, but this term struck me, and I knew I wanted to dig into it with you all!   In this episode, we talk about the importance of suspending certainty in leadership and personal growth. We talk through the benefits of embracing uncertainty, including: Increased curiosity Access to new perspectives Openness to learning and new opportunities Increased surprise, delight, and joy Gifts that come when we step out of our “I got it all figured out” ego Resilience, resourcefulness, tenacity, creativity, fun, and JOY are all born out of figuring out new things, embracing new realities, letting go of the old, and stepping into new opportunities where we don't know exactly how things will go.  What might happen for you if you felt prepared to step into uncertainty at any time?  Suspending certainty will help you with this preparation.  Episode Highlights: 00:00 Introduction and Exciting Updates 03:35 The Concept of Suspending Certainty 04:03 Understanding the Gifts of Suspending Certainty 11:10 Benefits of Embracing Uncertainty 20:10 Navigating Personal and Collective Uncertainty 30:30 Conclusion and Upcoming Workshop Links Mentioned: Attend my free workshop for women small business owners, Focused and Fierce: Lead with Purpose and Build Your Business in a Noisy World: saradean.com/fierce Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I met Maria Ross 12 years ago when we shared the stage at a women's event. Her work is centered around human behavior and empathy in the workplace. What I love about talking to Maria is how she can dig into the nuts and bolts of concepts and theory while also making tricky concepts very approachable and applicable to everyone. If you want to cultivate more empathy or help others cultivate more empathy, Maria is your gal.   Maria is a speaker, facilitator, author, strategist, and empathy advocate who believes cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive. She's spent decades helping forward-thinking leaders, teams, and brands connect and engage through empathy to accelerate growth. Maria has authored multiple books, including her newest, The Empathy Dilemma: How Successful Leaders Balance Performance, People, and Personal Boundaries, Her previous book, The Empathy Edge sparked a movement and she now hosts the top-rated The Empathy Edge podcast, speaking with leaders, changemakers, authors, and activists on how to achieve radical success through empathy.  Listen in to hear Maria share: Navigating the empathy dilemma of balancing empathy with performance What empathy is and what it's not Why empathy is now especially challenging in our multigenerational workplaces  How you can uphold empathy when it feels like it's being “canceled” The 5 Pillars of Effective Empathetic Leadership Links Mentioned: Book: theempathydilemma.com Connect with Maria: www.red-slice.com Maria's Podcast, The Empathy Edge: www.TheEmpathyEdge.com Maria's new 2 day mastermind event for high-achieving leaders who want to balance empathy with performance: www.TheEmpathyEdge.com/event Maria's LinkedIn Learning Course: Leading with Empathy Maria on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariajross/ Maria on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redslicemaria/ Maria on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/redslice Maria on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Redslice-MariaRoss Maria's Tedx Talk: https://bit.ly/MariaRossTEDx Hire Sara to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with Sara: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with Sara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stephanie Chung is a leader, fighter, survivor, breast cancer warrior, and barrier-breaker in corporate leadership who consistently embodies resilience and courage.  I knew from the moment we met online that this would be a special conversation, which is why Stephanie is the first guest to join me on Shameless Leadership! As a pioneering woman of color in the aviation sector with 35 years of aviation experience, Stephanie has ascended to top executive roles, including her tenure as Chief Growth Officer at Wheels Up and as the first African-American President of a private aviation company, JetSuite, marked by innovative strategies that significantly expanded membership and redefined brand positioning. She led a private aviation sales team that consistently exceeded its quota of almost $1 billion every year.  Stephanie is also a sought-after keynote speaker and #1 international best-selling author, whose work in applying neuroscience to sales and leadership offers groundbreaking and practical strategies for professional growth.  This conversation is high-energy, high-impact, and a lot of fun.  Be prepared to learn, challenge yourself, and walk away with some important action steps!  Listen in to hear Stephanie share:  Her 40-year career in aviation - starting at the bottom and working her way to the very top How one leader saw something special in her early on that changed the course of her career The long-term career impact of owning your power and accomplishments in front of your peers and other leaders How to be powerful and noticeable when advancing your leadership in rooms where people don't look like you What "Ally Leadership" is and why it's so crucial for today's diverse workforce actionable steps a leader can take tomorrow to begin leading more equitably and build trust across a more diverse team How to spot the difference between performative and authentic Ally Leadership Links Mentioned: Connect with Stephanie: https://stephaniechung.com/ Get Stephanie's Book: Ally in Leadership: How to Lead People Who Are Not Like You  Your Ally in Leadership Substack: https://www.yourallyinleadership.com/ Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/TheStephanieChung/ Connect with Stephanie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheStephanieChung/ Connect with Stephanie on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheStephanieChung/ Connect with Stephanie on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thestephaniechung Connect with Stephanie on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Coachstephaniechung Hire Sara to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with Sara: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with Sara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Consistency is pretty boring. It might be the least glamorous component of leadership.  This is probably why it tends to be an underrated leadership superpower. However, consistency is a key ingredient to leadership success, primarily because it allows you to create compounding interest. Your tiny gains over time build up to massive outcomes.  Consistency also thwarts perfectionism. Showing up repeatedly becomes more important than showing up perfectly. This consistent showing up creates growth that casts perfectionism to the side, as it's no longer needed as a tool for success. You start to realize that success is much more about showing up, getting it done, and building momentum on an ongoing basis.  What if small, repeated actions became the backbone of sustainable success in both your personal growth and leadership? For example…  For the last 27 years, I've worked out 6 days a week. That's about 7,776 workouts. Most of them have been pretty average, mid-level efforts. A lot of them have been just going through the motions. Every now and then, there is a really amazing one. The impact has been massive on my mental and physical health. I have no doubt that I have added years to my life. For the last 9 years, I have released 1-2 podcasts a week, depending on our production schedule. That's 940 podcast episodes. Some have been fantastic, even noteworthy. Many have been valuable and helpful to my audience, but not necessarily earth-shattering. The impact on my business and credibility as a thought leader, speaker, and coach has been invaluable.  Consistency creates scaffolding in your life and leadership. By developing reliable habits, you reduce decision fatigue, lessen your mental load, and streamline internal negotiations. When you're consistent, you become a person who gets things done, who finishes what you start, and who builds trust in yourself. That identity shift, from someone who dabbles to someone who delivers, is transformational. Consistency also strengthens your leadership reputation. Leaders known for their follow-through and reliability foster trust, credibility, and psychological safety for their teams.  Showing up again and again says to the world, “I'm here, I belong here, and I'm not going anywhere.” This episode will inspire you to lean into consistency as a courageous act of leadership and self-trust. Episode Highlights: 00:00 The Power of Consistency in Leadership 05:09 Powerful Examples of the Payoffs of Consistency 10:12 Building Relationships Through Consistency 15:17 Consistency as a Tool to Build a Stronger Personal Identity and Leadership Identity 20:44 The Impact of Consistency on Trust and Visibility Links Mentioned: Book: Atomic Habits by James Clear Book: Finish by Jon Acuff Book: Soundtracks by Jon Acuff Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

During a recent retreat I led for my business coaching clients, we had the opportunity to do a deep dive into visibility avoidance.  We discussed this phenomenon that happens when we want to grow in new ways, but the prospect of heightened visibility holds us back.  Sometimes, when we take steps into higher visibility opportunities, we are excited by the outcomes.  But, shortly after the perceived win, we feel a sense of vulnerability that pulls us back to our pre-visibility zone of comfort, and we determine that pre-visibility space is the safer or more appropriate place for us to stay for the time being.   Visibility can be wildly uncomfortable.  It can bring up a lot of thoughts, feelings, and beliefs in which we create swirling narratives that are more harmful than helpful.  When we get stuck here, we stunt our own growth.  We shrink ourselves.  We play small.  We allow ourselves to tap into only a fraction of our full potential.   In this episode, we explore the concept of visibility avoidance and highlight the common underlying self-limiting beliefs that hinder your personal and professional growth. I talk through how specific thought patterns undermine behavior patterns, keeping you accepting less than the best for yourself.  Then, I give you simple steps for overcoming visibility avoidance that will allow you to strategically increase visibility through small steps over time, allowing you to reach those goals you've been dreaming of in a way that feels exciting and rewarding!  This episode will help you recognize the payoffs of stepping into your full potential when you do it in a way that feels safe and aligned with who you are and where you want to go.  Episode Highlights: 00:00 The Magic of Expansive Time 04:14 Understanding Visibility Avoidance 12:03 Overcoming Self-Limiting Beliefs 16:18 Strategies for Increasing Visibility 24:47 Embracing Vulnerability and Growth Links Mentioned: Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I've recently been in a few conversations about executive presence with colleagues and coaching clients.  These conversations keep coming up because of major misconceptions about executive presence.  When we think about executive presence, we tend to think about traits that allow for high control, high volume, and high power.  However, executive presence is not about dominance or taking up more space than the people around you.  It's about far more.  And, it's quite nuanced.     Unfortunately, many of us don't have great examples of executive presence around us.  This is why we don't have a clear understanding of what it entails and how to develop it.  Without strong mentors and role models, it's hard to know what you're even striving for, right?! In this episode, we will talk about what leaders are getting wrong about executive presence, the components of executive presence that matter most, and specific steps you can take to strengthen your executive presence.  We will also discuss how executive presence has long been weaponized as a gatekeeping tool and to uphold bias.   Please know executive presence is not just for executives!  This is a way of carrying yourself in order to have a commanding presence that calls people in to work with you and listen to you.  Your executive presence at any level, regardless of role or rank, can position you to build trusting relationships, enter into collaborative opportunities, and set yourself up for powerful next steps in your leadership legacy.    Episode Highlights: How executive presence is learned and developed over time Why quiet confidence goes a long way Why executive presence requires balancing confidence with humility Why executive presence has nothing to do with being the loudest or most dominant in the room True executive presence is about how you make others feel How and why to leverage authenticity more than conformity in your leadership Recognizing the role of gatekeeping and bias in many current models of executive presence Links Mentioned: Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We have all been in situations where we are asked a question or called out in a moment, and we completely freeze.  We can feel the room go silent as the spotlight shines brighter and brighter on us, and we can't overcome the silence that has invaded our bodies. It feels like time has stopped, and it is up to us to make it start again, yet we feel completely unable to access the tools to do so. This can feel scary, overwhelming, and immobilizing.  In this episode, we explore why our brains sometimes freeze in high-pressure moments. I share a little about what happens to your nervous system in these moments and how freezing is a protective reaction, not a personal failure. This can help you move away from shame and discomfort and toward self-acceptance and self-compassion in those moments of silence. You'll learn practical strategies to set new default behaviors when you feel a freeze response coming on. From grounding techniques like deep breathing and pausing before speaking, to simple phrases that buy you time to think, these tools will help you stay centered and regain your voice in critical moments and after the fact so you can reclaim your agency and influence, build credibility and authority in high-stakes situations, and honor your unique brain and personality when things get a little sticky.   Let's reframe your “freezing” not as a flaw, but as an opportunity to strategically access your power through intentional presence. With practice, you can move from stuck and silent to calm and clear - even in moments that catch you off guard.  If this episode resonates with you, share it with a colleague, team member, or fellow leader who needs a reminder that freezing doesn't mean failing! Links Mentioned: Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

937: LEADERSHIP STRATEGIES: 4 Truths To Hold When You're Doing Hard Things Stepping into a new challenge or opportunity as a woman in leadership can bring up all kinds of fears—fear of failure, fear of judgment, fear of not being enough. In this episode, I'm sharing four powerful truths to hold onto when you're on the edge of doing something bold, unfamiliar, or downright scary in your leadership. These reminders are here to ground you in your capability, reconnect you to your courage, and help you move forward even when your inner critic is the loudest voice in the room. In this episode, we talk about what it looks like and feels like to trust positive feedback instead of deflecting it, how to reframe “faking it until you make it” as a leadership practice, and how to own and honor the skills and strengths you already bring to the table from your past experiences. We'll also break down how perfectionism shows up in leadership and talk through how releasing that deep internalized perfectionism is one of the most powerful moves you can make, not just for your own well-being, but to model brave, authentic leadership for others. Whether you're stepping into a new role, launching a big initiative, or finding your voice in a room where you're the only one who looks or leads like you, this episode is your reminder that you are more ready than you think. These four truths are mindset shifts and key leadership strategies to help you show up in the face of challenges and new opportunities with clarity, confidence, and courage - and maybe even a little excitement! Episode Highlights: 00:00 Embracing Hard Things for Leadership Growth 06:07 Overcoming Conditioning and Imposter Syndrome 12:08 Trusting Yourself and How to Ethically Fake It Till You Make 18:37 Rejecting Perfectionism and Taking Action Links Mentioned: Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I don't know anyone who loves engaging in disagreements.  In fact, most of the women I know avoid disagreements, conflict, and confrontation at all costs.  However, there are great costs to this avoidance, including missed opportunities for creativity and innovation, poor communication and growing resentment, slower or stalled decision making, a lack of trust and psychological safety, and higher potential for burnout and turnover.  So, you can see the costs are high! Researchers at Harvard surveyed 486 employees across a wide range of industries and found that only 39% of respondents reported being trained or coached in handling workplace conflict. Of those who were trained or coached in this area, a stunning 96% said training and coaching helped them deal with conflict more effectively.  73% said they felt more confident and comfortable engaging in disagreements.  62% felt they were able to turn potentially destructive conflicts into productive ones. Clearly, this is a skill that is not only needed, but that also has so many benefits in terms of impacting team and organizational outcomes! In this episode, we dig into the importance of disagreement in leadership and communication while debunking common myths surrounding conflict. I share how learning to navigate disagreements can lead to innovative solutions and stronger relationships. Inspired by my recent school work for my Master's in Organizational Leadership program, I introduce you to the HEAR method from Harvard, which provides a framework for effective communication during disagreements. The episode will help you begin to embrace disagreement as a powerful and necessary tool, as well as an opportunity for growth and collaboration. Episode Highlights: 00:00 The Importance of Disagreement 02:46 Building Skills for Effective Disagreement 06:06 Myths Surrounding Disagreement 09:50 Strategies for Navigating Disagreements 16:03 The HEAR Method for Effective Communication 22:00 Transforming Disagreement into Opportunity Links Mentioned: Article: Managing a Polarized Workforce: How to Foster Debate and Promote Trust  from the Harvard Business Review Book: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There is no denying we are in an extraordinarily tough season.  When things feel heavy and hard for an extended period of time, it's easy to feel a sense of constriction in our thoughts, mental health, and worldview.  It's easy to fall into a funk.  And, it can feel impossible to pull ourselves out of it.   During challenging seasons, it is crucial that you maintain a growth mindset. While it's important to acknowledge what is happening in the world around us, it is also critically important to maintain habits that allow you to tap into hope and possibility regularly.  If all you feel is constriction during hard seasons, you run the risk of shutting down completely. This doesn't serve you or anyone else.  Tapping into your growth mindset is going to be the superpower that allows you to keep going.   In this episode, I outline six practical strategies to help you advance a growth mindset, including collecting the correct evidence, tracking small wins, staying in motion, leaning on the right support system, recognizing harmful narratives, and giving yourself permission to practice self-compassion through rest and restorative activities.   Episode Highlights: 00:00 Introduction to Growth Mindset in Tough Times 02:23 Understanding Growth vs. Fixed Mindset 06:06 Six Ways to Improve Growth Mindset 12:12 Tracking Small Wins and Staying in Motion 15:34 The Importance of the Right Support System 18:22 Noticing and Changing Your Narratives 21:11 The Power of Rest and Self-Compassion Links Mentioned: Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 934 episodes, I'm not sure I've ever shared lessons learned from a TV show, much less a reality show.  However, the way a recent episode of Survivor has stuck with me is making it impossible for me not to talk about it here.   Before I dig in, I'll admit that my husband and I are probably two of maybe 15 people who still watch Survivor faithfully.  We have watched every season together since we met 22 years ago.  I have to say, the show just keeps getting better.  They have consistently improved casting and production to prioritize representation.  There is racial and cultural diversity, gender diversity, sexual orientation diversity, age diversity, neurodiversity, and a wide spectrum of ability diversity.  This has led to some deeply powerful and impactful moments over the years.  This season, one contestant, Eva, is the first contestant to share an autism diagnosis with the audience.  She also shared her diagnosis with one other team member, Joe, at the beginning of the season.  Throughout the first half of the season, we see Eva navigating living in this unique community environment while managing her autism on a daily basis.  Beyond sharing her diagnosis with one trusted team member, Eva is careful to keep her diagnosis to herself out of fear that it could complicate her game if others were to find out.  In the March 26th episode, we see Eva, a very talented athlete, get frustrated during a physical challenge.  As she repeatedly tried and failed to complete her part of the challenge for her team, she became visibly upset and eventually emotionally distraught.  With her teammates' relentless support and patience, she eventually succeeded at completing the challenge.  Her relief in finishing was then quickly overshadowed by complete emotional overwhelm, where she had a hard time re-regulating herself physically and emotionally.   The magic in this moment was how Eva's teammates, Survivor production, and host Jeff Probst held space for Eva to regain a sense of safety and control in this moment.   In this episode, I talk through 5 lessons learned from this incredible moment of reality TV that ultimately became a masterclass in inclusion. From there, I also invite you to ask yourself 4 crucial questions about how you prioritize inclusion as a leader: How does your behavior as a leader consistently demonstrate your values? How can you show your commitment to inclusion no matter what words are “illegal” or how society is getting stuck on ridiculous semantics as a means of undermining human dignity? How do you consistently consider other people's visible and invisible layers of identity before passing judgment? How do you hold space for those you lead in a way that builds trust and safety so that when someone needs something, they feel safe asking for it and feel confident they will receive the support they need? Episode Highlights: 00:00 Introduction to Survivor and Leadership Lessons 02:49 Mitch's Story: The Importance of Consent, Patience, and Space 06:00 Eva's Journey: Building Trust and Support 08:48 Joe's Role: Observing and Offering Support 11:59 Jeff Probst's Vulnerability: Modeling Vulnerability and Compassion 14:47 Creating Safety in High-Pressure Situations 18:08 Demonstrating Values Through Actions 21:02 Key Takeaways and Questions for Leaders Links Mentioned: Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks/ Connect with Ligia Koijen Ramos on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ligiakoijenramos Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Could you benefit from improving your emotional intelligence? If so, do you know how you can go about this? It seems there are constant references to the benefits of higher emotional intelligence, but actually attaining that is more elusive. In fact, it might even feel daunting if building a stronger connection to your emotions feels vulnerable to you.   As I've been speaking recently, I've been sharing some simple ways leaders can advance their emotional intelligence while also helping those they lead do the same. This work is important and doesn't have to be difficult.   Developing your emotional intelligence is the way you can build better bridges to meet other people where they are. If you excel at this, you can supercharge your leadership.   In this conversation, I dive into the significance of emotional intelligence in leadership. I share the importance of self-awareness, emotional regulation, and empathy as key components of emotional intelligence and provide practical strategies for you to enhance your emotional intelligence while fostering a supportive environment for your teams.  At the end of the day, emotional intelligence isn't soft – it's strategic. It's not a weakness; it can absolutely be your greatest strength and secret weapon as a leader. Episode Highlights: 00:00 Introduction to Emotional Intelligence 02:51 The Importance of Self-Awareness 07:01 Emotional Regulation Strategies 12:38 Cultivating Empathy and Social Awareness 18:07 Building Authentic Connections Links Mentioned: Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks/ Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I'm here to share something that might give you great relief.    Your leadership doesn't have to be loud to be LOUD. When I'm working with leaders and people who are developing leadership skills, there is a common misconception that you have to get louder in volume to be heard.  By volume, I mean auditory volume and quantity.  People assume they have to speak in a louder voice and/or say more things all the time.   To become a better leader, you might not need to do either of these things.   Instead, you need to determine what style of leadership is authentic for you in this season of life.   When I owned my gym, I became a better leader by quieting my voice to make space for my trainers to showcase theirs.  I sat back and let them shine by teaching more classes than me and by letting each of them find their own voice and leadership style in their classes.   As a result, I was able to work behind the scenes to focus on expanding our membership community, create more programming and offers, and build out a strong and stable backend to the business so that my trainers had job security and our members felt supported by all the leaders on my team instead of feeling reliant solely on me for their success.   In this season, I was also a new mom.  My quieter, BTS leadership allowed me to be home and present with my son.  This was an incredible season of growth for my business, my trainers, and our community.  And, I didn't have to get louder.  I just had to get more clear on my role in leading my trainers so they could help me build a phenomenal community.  Which they did!   Instead of thinking about how you need to become some loudest-in-the-room, always-speaking-up, and being-seen-doing-all-the-things kind of leader, perhaps you could think about: What is the impact you want to have? What do you want to build? Who do you want to empower to build with you? What values do you most want to uphold in this season? What is your leadership secret sauce (that thing about the way you lead that calls people in and keeps them motivated to work alongside you)? As you consider how you want to grow as a leader, think about the skill sets and mindsets you need to develop.  Maybe this is getting louder.  But, maybe it's about getting more quiet?  Maybe it's about getting more clear about where you want to go and how you want to get there. Episode Highlights: 00:00 Redefining Loud Leadership 02:55 Authenticity in Leadership Styles 06:09 Empowering Others in Leadership 08:59 The Importance of Collaboration 11:47 Finding Your Unique Leadership Voice 15:10 Building a Leadership Legacy Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the last couple of months, I've had the opportunity to speak on communication confidence at a handful of leadership events. One of the things that has been really eye-opening for attendees is learning about the connection between their internal communication and external communication. So, I thought this would be a helpful (and fun!) topic to dig into on the pod.   Let's start with defining each of these terms. Internal communication is how you communicate with yourself. This includes the words and phrases you use and the tone of voice you use. When you're in a tough moment, do you speak to yourself with kindness, compassion, and respect? Or, do you have a tendency to beat yourself up and talk to yourself in a way you would never talk to someone else who is struggling? When you are on the cusp of making a big decision or going for something new and big, do you champion yourself by reminding yourself of your strengths, talents, and qualifications? Or, do you tell yourself you're probably not qualified, and you probably won't get what you want out of the situation?   External communication is how you communicate with others. When you are entering a high-stakes situation, do you show up with confidence and grace? Do you speak up, share ideas, and stand up for the people and issues that matter most to you in a way that calls people to take action and/or work beside you? Or, do you sit back, stay quiet, or run away the moment you sense anything uncomfortable, unpredictable, or challenging? Or, maybe you get defensive and aggressive when things don't go your way - perhaps taking on a my-way-or-the-highway attitude?   As you may suspect, our internal communication greatly impacts our external communication. If you don't have your internal communication dialed in, your external communication will probably be pretty poor, even harmful in high-stakes moments. Our internal communication patterns and habits are likely defaults that have been with us for years if not decades. In this episode, I talk through 5 ways to begin to shift your internal communication defaults in order to positively impact your external communication habits.   Bottom line… Your internal communication must be rock solid if you want your external communication to get you closer to your goals and dreams!  Resources: Join Aligned, my leadership incubator for values-driven women leaders: saradean.com/aligned Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can we talk about women masking at work? I spend a lot of time in conversation with women who are the only woman or one of very few women in the room at work. There is a fatigue and malaise that comes from being in this position long term - even if you enjoy and respect many of the men you're sitting beside. When a person is notably different from the majority of the people around them, they mask themselves to fit in, be taken seriously, gain a competitive advantage, and maintain safety. Here are some of the ways many women routinely mask in male-dominated workplaces: Altering vocal pitch and language Modifying speech patterns to avoid feminine speech markers and amplify masculine ones Dressing to look “good” but also professional, well kept, not too showy, not too sharp Having hair and makeup done in a way that suits the room vs suiting comfort Suppressing natural emotional reactions Avoiding vulnerability Maintaining a calm and demure demeanor no matter how heated others are getting Controlling facial expressions Laughing at jokes even if uncomfortable Participating in meaningless conversations (sports, tech, male-dominated hobbies) Dismissing or hiding personal interests and hobbies Avoiding or downplaying family situations Positioning self as “one of the guys” Avoiding asking questions or seeking help Many women are so conditioned to masking that they don't know they are doing it until they are in an environment where they no longer have to do it. One of the reasons I have built so many group coaching programs for women over the last decade is because of how deeply impactful it is when women come together and drop their masks. In these containers, deep growth and transformation transpire. No facades. No faking it. Only full transparency. All you. All out. THIS is the key to your future as a woman leader. In this episode, I talk through what masking looks like, what masking is costing you, and how you can start to drop your mask to show up more fully as you. All you.   Episode Highlights: 00:00 Understanding Masking in Women at Work 02:46 The Impact of Masking on Emotional Well-being 06:01 Navigating Gender Dynamics in Professional Spaces 09:06 Recognizing and Supporting Masking Behaviors 11:48 The Costs of Masking: Emotional and Professional 15:06 Strategies for Unmasking and Authenticity 18:00 Creating Supportive Spaces for Women 21:08 How You Can Take Action on This Episode Links Mentioned: Join Aligned, my Women's Leadership Incubator for values-driven women leaders looking to be more loud in their leadership in 2025: saradean.com/aligned Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I've recently had multiple conversations with women leaders who have expressed their desire to intentionally build part of their leadership legacy around supporting emerging leaders. Of course, this makes my heart sing. As someone who has benefited from the guidance of women who came before me, I know firsthand how impactful it can be when just one person shows they believe in you. In this episode, I explore how women leaders can effectively support and nurture emerging leaders within their organizations. I discuss the importance of modeling authentic leadership behaviors and providing strategic support that empowers the next generation of women in leadership. Through practical guidance and actionable strategies, leaders will learn how to create environments where emerging talent can flourish and reach their full potential. Modeling Leadership Behaviors That Matter Authentic leadership begins with vulnerability and transparency. By normalizing failure and making it safe, you create a culture where innovation thrives and emerging leaders feel empowered to take calculated risks. Modeling imperfection reinforces that leadership isn't about being flawless—it's about how you respond to challenges and learn from mistakes. When you openly pursue growth, you demonstrate that learning is a lifelong process. This transparency dismantles the intimidating facade of leadership and encourages emerging leaders to embrace their own development journey with confidence. Strategic Support That Empowers Growth Supporting emerging leaders requires intentional investment in their future. Start by having meaningful conversations about their aspirations and where they see themselves in five to ten years. Demonstrate your commitment by investing in their development through both free resources and high-value opportunities, such as professional development conferences and coaching. Regularly communicate the strengths you see in them that should shine more brightly, as well as the areas where they have room to grow. These conversations, combined with your explicit belief in their potential, create a strong foundation for their development. Recognition is also a crucial element of support. Acknowledge their successes and check in when something seems off. Show them that you genuinely care. Creating a Legacy Through Leadership Development The most significant impact of your leadership may not be what you personally achieve, but who you develop along the way. By intentionally cultivating emerging leaders, you create a lasting legacy that extends far beyond your immediate sphere of influence. When women leaders commit to supporting other women, they help break down systemic barriers and open new pathways to leadership for women and other marginalized groups. This ripple effect transforms not only individual careers but also entire organizational cultures. Your investment in emerging leaders today shapes the inclusive leadership landscape of tomorrow, ensuring that diverse perspectives continue to drive innovation and success at every level. Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“You can't pour from an empty cup!” There is this long-standing narrative that women should practice filling their cups so they have something in their proverbial cups to pour out and share with others in the form of time, energy, love, and/or care.   This narrative reinforces that women should take care of themselves for the purpose of being better caretakers of others. Because, as the cultural narrative goes, caretaking at home, at work, and in our communities is a woman's primary role. We are trained from a very young age to be self-sacrificial at every turn like martyrs marching through life every damn day.   I led a training last week on how women leaders can support their teams during these extraordinarily challenging times. I kicked off the event by explaining that while the training was an opportunity for attendees to learn how better to take care of their teams during this time, I was first and foremost concerned with them taking care of themselves and filling their own cups. But… NOT for the sake of pouring into someone else's cup.   You deserve to fill your cup just for the sake of having a full cup. Not for the sake of sharing anything in our cup with anyone else. You deserve a full cup that is just for you.  There are enormous costs when we fill our cups only to pour into others. Over time, our physical and mental health are compromised. We find ourselves constantly on the brink of burnout, if not in full-blown burnout. We miss out on opportunities for advancement because we are so busy helping to advance others.   In this episode, I share examples of what it looks like to fill your cup just for you, how to break lifelong patterns of self-sacrifice and self-abandonment, and how filling your cup opens the door for others to pour from theirs (and why this is so important!)  Links Mentioned: Join ALIGNED - my 6-monthWomen's Leadership Incubator. We are currently accepting applications on a first-come, first-served basis. This incubator runs from April through September.  Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Leadership Podcast? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"I see you pulling a Beyoncé here,” I said to my client who was really tapping into her own inner Bey.   I'm referring to how Beyoncé broke the mold and rewrote the rules for herself—without anyone's invitation or permission—to win her recent Grammy for Album of the Year. I saw the same thing with this client: breaking the mold and rewriting the rules for herself, without waiting for anyone's invitation or permission. In fact, a number of the women leaders I work with are doing incredible work to figure out how to create new leadership opportunities for themselves because old-school systems and structures have kept them confined in their current roles for far too long.  In the work I'm doing with these women leaders, there are a few key steps I designed for them to take as part of a larger leadership growth strategy.  These are steps anyone can take when they are ready to forge a new path in leadership development - without waiting for an invitation or permission: 1. Define your top 5 leadership values. 2. Actively embrace your leadership values to amplify your leadership brand. 3. Advance your thought leadership to think more expansively about what is possible outside of your current role. 4. Identify opportunities to BE SEEN in places and spaces outside your current role. 5. Start making connections with leaders who openly embrace the same leadership values you do. 6. Position yourself for invitations to show up as a subject matter expert in your field. This is how Beyonce was able to rewrite the rules and forge a new path to her Grammy success – and how you can do the same thing. In this episode, I share with you exactly how to integrate these strategic steps into your current work.  When you are stuck inside a system that doesn't work for you, it can be really challenging to see outside of the system. There are often multiple concentric circles of power (if not systems of oppression) that put a massive buffer between you and new opportunities. To cut through the junk (old school systems), you must take strategic steps over time to circumvent the systems that are holding you back. Of course, you can do this with a coach (Hi, that's me!). Or, you can start on your own by following the steps above to channel YOUR inner Beyoncé! Links Mentioned: Women Leaders! Join me for Rooted & Rising: Grounded Leadership for Turbulent Times on February 19th. This free workshop is a virtual workshop to connect with other women leaders and gain new tools and insights to carry you through this challenging season of leadership. Register for free at saradean.com/rising.  Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every single time I mention being diagnosed with ADHD in my forties, women reach out to me. This has become the thing middle-aged women want to connect with me about the most. 10 years ago, I could have never guessed I would be talking about the importance of brain health for women leaders. This wasn't something that was on my radar until two things happened: I realized through a series of doctors and diagnoses over the course of a decade that my brain is not average.  Women all around me started hitting their mid-forties and questioning, “What is even happening in my head?!” Brain health refers to the overall well-being and optimal functioning of the brain throughout a person's life. This includes various aspects of cognitive, emotional, and neurological functioning. In addition to our brain health is our mental health. Mental health refers to our emotional and psychological well-being, including how we think, feel, and act. Our brain health can definitely impact our mental health and vice versa.   There is so much information coming out about women's brains and ways in which our neurodiversity has been overlooked for generations. On top of this, many women are having stunning realizations about their brain health at a time in their lives when so many other aspects of our health and well-being are running wild (hello, perimenopause!)   The more we talk about what is happening with women's brains in this season of life, the more we can get the support we need to thrive in our personal and professional lives and the more likely we are to be able to maintain function optimally in all the roles that are most meaningful to us.   In this episode, I talk about my own brain health, my path to multiple diagnoses, and how I'm currently taking care of my brain. I want you to see this example of how a neurodiverse leader is still SHINING in this extraordinary season of life. It took me years (decades) to put all these pieces together. My hope is that sharing my story will help other women connect essential dots in their lives much more quickly!  Links Mentioned: ADHD Coach for Women, Emma Magenta: https://emmamagentacoaching.com/ Emma Magenta on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emmamagentacoaching We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The chaos and overwhelm you are feeling in this first month of 2025 is by design.  The fear, if not panic, that strikes you every time you see a new news story is intended to break you down. Your worry about all the what-ifs has been strategically created so you stay distracted and disheartened.   Being a sociology nerd at heart, I found myself at my desk last week making a list of all the ways systems of oppression are being intentionally woven into our US culture (on top of the systems of oppression that already existed). It didn't take much time to draw some distinct conclusions about what is happening right now.   One of the first things I noticed is that, for women, we have been here before. We are all probably aware of larger and more obvious historical systems of oppression that we have endured - not being allowed to vote, have a credit card, take out a mortgage, run in marathons, work in certain environments, have bodily autonomy, etc.   Beyond all that, one of the most insidious long-term systems of oppression that women have (and continue to endure) is diet culture. When I started drawing connections between the decades of brainwashing and indoctrination we have endured around our bodies and the intentional chaos we are enduring now as women and as other people carrying marginalized identities, I felt like I unlocked the puzzle.   Systems of oppression have some key characteristics: Institutional legitimacy and normalization - they embed themselves in laws, cultural practices, and social institutions, making them appear normal or natural rather than constructed.  Control of resources and opportunities - the dominant group restricts access to things like education, jobs, housing, healthcare, and other essential resources to maintain power over the oppressed. Internalized oppression - oppressed groups begin to internalize and believe the negative messages they are hearing about themselves.  This causes them to retreat or turn on each other. Divide and conquer tactics - marginalized groups are pitted against each other, preventing unified resistance. This can include creating hierarchies within oppressed populations.   Punishment of resistance - there are severe consequences for those who challenge the system (violence, legal penalties, social ostracism, or economic retaliation). Control of information and narratives - education, media, and historical narratives are controlled and contrived in a distorted way that shapes how people understand themselves and society, often erasing or skewing the experiences of marginalized groups. All of these elements are present right now.  This is why you feel so unnerved.  This is why you feel like your power is slipping away by the day.  All of these elements have also been present for decades as women have been conditioned to hold our bodies in disdain. So, none of this is new.   Rest assured, taking away aspects of your power does not make you powerless.  The system is designed to make you feign powerlessness.  You are NOT powerless.  In this episode, I help you unravel what is happening so you can make informed decisions to keep moving forward in your day-to-day life.  We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm not a doctor or any sort of expert on women's health. But I am an expert on my body, as I've had 49 years to get to know her. We're pretty tight. I like to think I know everything about her. However, a recent doctor appointment taught me so many things I didn't know about her! At 49 years old, this body of mine is teaching me so many new things.   I never planned to do a podcast episode about my body at age 49, but I recently overheard a guy say, “So many more women are getting menopause these days.” In that moment, I realized there are people out there who have no idea about the things that all women born with uteruses endure. Rest assured, men, the same amount of women are “getting menopause” as always. It's not like a new epidemic or anything. Calm down.  I'm talking about menopause on the podcast today not because I'm particularly excited about it or educated on it, but because I deeply understand the consequences of women staying quiet. Women have been conditioned to push through pain, ignore our bodies' signals and symptoms, not cause a scene, not be self-advocates, and definitely not make others uncomfortable. We pay dearly for our silent discomfort. We lose job opportunities, endure preventable chronic illnesses, ride uncontrollable waves of emotions, are dismissed by healthcare providers, aren't given the resources we desperately need, and feel like we are all alone with bodies that seemingly betray us over and over as we age.  Enough of that, thank you very much.  We need to start talking about all this menopause we are “getting” and not stop talking about it until there is a universal understanding of what women go through and corresponding resources, respect, and grace given in the workplace, in our communities, and in our homes.  In this episode, I talk about symptoms of perimenopause (you might be surprised by some of these), my recent physical where I learned my estrogen is 4 times higher than it used to be (maybe thaaaaaat's why I can fly into a fit of rage in 3 seconds flat?!?), what you can do to better advocate for yourself and your health, and why all this impacts our work as leaders in significant ways.   We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Sara, should I stay or should I go?”  This is a very common conversation I have had with coaching clients over the years.  Because I have the great honor of helping women deeply (re)connect to their sense of self, my clients frequently find themselves in a position of having outgrown their professional roles. As they learn about themselves, embrace their strengths and talents, and challenge themselves to grow in new ways, there is an almost inevitable realization at a certain point, “I think I'm ready for something more…”   With this growth often comes a clarity in values and connection to core beliefs that illuminates things that once seen and felt cannot be unseen or unfelt. Once my clients start to feel this, there is a yearning to find new options and opportunities.  One of my clients told me early in our coaching journey that she envisioned herself staying at her current company for another 3-5 years. After working together for a few months and becoming more clear on her values and the value she has to contribute to the world, she felt she could no longer ignore the ways she has been consistently overlooked and dismissed at her current company. She had a newfound urgency to find a role somewhere where her values and her value were not being compromised at every turn. Her 3-5 year timeline shifted to 3-5 months! When my clients find themselves in this position, there is a lot to consider and process. In many cases, I don't recommend my clients jump ship. In fact, I think there can be great value in a “strategic stay” where one stays put for a while longer in order to make a thoughtful transition without risking their personal and professional security and stability.   In this episode, I talk through how to know if you've outgrown your role and/or organization, considerations to make before making a move, and reasons you might consider staying put for a while longer in order to make a more strategic (and beneficial) transition.   It is my hope that learning and practicing my GAP Strategy will allow you to hold space for others in a way that advances your relationships and your leadership.   We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever gone to someone you trusted to seek help and they became defensive instead of holding space for you? Have you ever been in a conversation and felt yourself getting defensive as someone shared information with you?   You've likely been in both of these situations at some point, perhaps in personal and professional settings.   I found myself in the first situation a while back. I took a very serious concern to two leaders I trusted and I left feeling stunned that two leaders I trusted couldn't hold space for me in a vulnerable moment. It was so disappointing and left me reeling for days. I kept rerunning the conversation in my head trying to figure out what went wrong and why I felt so defeated and hurt after the fact.   With some time and reflection, I was able to identify that the reason I was so upset was because I didn't feel seen, heard, held, or valued in a moment where it felt really important to me to feel seen, heard, held, and valued.   As I processed this event, I spent a lot of time thinking about how I would have handled the situation if the tables were turned. I questioned myself, “How do I hold space for people when they show up and need me to sit with them and hear them out - even if what they want to share is difficult to hear?” My work demands this of me. I have to sit in hard conversations with coaching clients all the time. I preach confident communication to leaders all day long. I started to think through what my specific process is when it comes to holding space for others and I was able to put it together in a really clear and simple way that can be easily replicated in many different sticky situations and tough moments.   In this episode, I talk you through how to use my 3 step process, my GAP Strategy, to practice Gratitude, Acknowledgement, and Partnership in these challenging communication moments. I give you brief, clear statements you can use to immediately help the person sitting across from you feel seen, heard, held, and valued. These are the statements I wished I had heard in that conversation a while back. I wish the people who sat across from me were able to apply this strategy so we could have worked together toward a solution instead of leaving the situation feeling awkward, incomplete, and let down. It is my hope that learning and practicing my GAP Strategy will allow you to hold space for others in a way that advances your relationships and your leadership.   We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor. Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every year I host an Annual Planning Workshop for my business coaching clients. This is a time for folks to look back at their wins from the past year, do some visioning for the upcoming year, and get crystal clear on the specific strategies and action steps they want to take to be successful in the new year.   As I was leading this workshop in early December, it occurred to me that you all, my lovely leader listeners, could benefit from the same exercises I take my business coaching clients through. In this episode, I walk you through 10 simple, but essential, questions to ask yourself as you plan your upcoming year.   I don't believe in resolutions. I don't believe you need to flip your life upside down and make 734 changes on January 1st. I do believe you need to own wins from the past year so you can see the proof of what you're capable of moving forward. And, I do believe that you should take some time to reflect on what you want to make happen over the course of the next year sometime in the month of January so you can begin to build the necessary momentum to actually accomplish all you want to accomplish in the next year.  Here are the 10 questions I walk you through in this episode: What are my 2024 wins? What do I want more of in 2025? What do I want less of in 2025? What do I want to be most proud of on December 31, 2025? What are my Big 3 for 2025? Why do these Big 3 matter to me? What support do I need to go after and accomplish my Big 3? What will change for me when I attain my Big 3? What are the costs of not attaining these Big 3 this year? What specific steps will I take in the next 90 days to work toward my Big 3? Like many recent years, 2025 will be a year of change, uncertainty, and quite possibly chaos. The more you can be clear on what you want to accomplish, why you want to accomplish it, and how you're going to accomplish it, the more you can stay grounded when the going (inevitably) gets tough.  Happy 2025! You got this and I'm thrilled to be on this journey with you! Link Mentioned To get notified of my upcoming events, workshops, and retreats for leaders, email me at hello@saradean.com with the subject line “Events!” and I'll make sure to notify you as I roll out 2025 events!  We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I have used stories in leadership for some time now and have found them to be such a powerful way to engage people as well as a means to appeal to people's heads and hearts. Years ago, I started studying how other speakers I followed used stories and I took notes.   As I've learned more about the power of storytelling from a theoretical perspective, so much has clicked for me in terms of how to use storytelling as a leadership tool and strategy. There is no doubt that stories drive authentic leadership, allowing you to humanize yourself and display vulnerability in front of those you lead. This can be pivotal in building trusting relationships. If you're looking to build trust, cultivate vulnerability, and build team relationships on a foundation of psychological safety, start telling stories.  Daniel Coyle, author of The Culture Code, reminds those leading others through change, “Stories are not just stories; they are the best invention ever created for delivering mental models that drive behavior.” In the vulnerable space of a story is an opportunity to create a connection. Connections pave the way for relationships. Relationships become the platform for which we can show our full range of humanity and hold space for other's full range of humanity. Stories can be used to inspire, motivate, build trust & rapport, model humanity, humility, vulnerability, imperfection, instruct, demonstrate, teach, mentor, celebrate, and advance organizational culture.  I often have the opportunity to teach leaders how to use stories during leadership training I facilitate. It is one of my favorite activities to facilitate and to observe. Most leaders walk away feeling a sense of lightness in their leadership they couldn't previously find. For many, this lightness is a gratitude for the permission to share parts of themselves that are imperfect, goofy, messy, soft, sensitive, joyful, and playful.   In this episode, we will talk through how to use stories, as well as tips for telling impactful stories.   Links mentioned: Book: The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle Check out my other podcast: The Shameless Mom Academy Learn about my speaking, training, and coaching: saradean.com Connect with me on LinkedIn: saradean.com/linkedin We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the last episode of Shameless Leadership, I spoke about 5 Challenges Facing Women Leaders in 2025. While that episode had plenty of reasons to get us motivated and fired up, I am excited to kick off a conversation that leads with a positive edge this week. When we only focus on the challenges we face as women (or as a member of any marginalized group), it can feel harder to harness our power. So, how about we focus on our competitive edges, shall we? In this episode, I'm so excited to talk through with you the following 5 Competitive Advantages of Women Leaders 2025: Emotional Intelligence and Psychological + Relationship Leadership Innate Adaptability, Adaptivity, and Resilience Capacity for Ethical Development and Innovation Modeling and Creation of Futuristic Leadership Paradigms Competency in Creating Connections and Advancing Ecosystem Development There are many aspects of our socialization as women that we tend to under leverage in leadership. Enough of that. 2025 is a year to create opportunities for us to lead in areas where our male counterparts often fall short (often due to their socialization). We have a unique opportunity to lead with our differences, intentionally do things differently, and be culture shifters and culture shapers who challenge the status quo and change patterns of socialization altogether.   By harnessing our emotional intelligence and relationship-building skills, we can create more collaborative work environments that drive better business outcomes. By embracing our natural ability to see systemic interconnections and balance multiple perspectives, we can excel at complex problem-solving and change management. By amplifying our adaptability and adaptivity (and knowing the difference between the two), we can demonstrate creative resource allocation and strategic prioritization while driving innovation. See, I told you there is a lot to get fired up about here.   2025 is not a year for us to sit back. It's a year for us to stand up, get loud, and own our place in the game.   Link mentioned: Shameless Leadership Episode 917: The 5 Biggest Challenges Facing Women Leaders in 2025 We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To be honest, I was hesitant to spend thirty minutes pointing out the challenges facing women leaders, as I'm not sure we need to be reminded of what's not working in our favor. However, as I started putting my notes together, I quickly decided that if I provide this list as a bit of a “Hey friends! Just a heads up…” and included some options for strategic responses we can all enter 2025 feeling better informed and well prepared to do our work to the best of our ability.   So, here we go!! For me (and I hope for you!), when the world gets messy, my values become more clear. When my values are more clear, my decision-making becomes easier. When decision-making is easier, I can mitigate a lot of mental gymnastics and get to work. In 2025, I plan to get to work. I'm not wasting time dilly-dallying in decision fatigue. I am clear on my values, the work I want to do, the impact I want to have, and how I can best share my gifts with the world. I am ready to GO. I am acutely aware of those who are relying on me to be clear-headed and focused. I am prepared to show up for them. In calling out our challenges and creating strategic responses, we can focus on our vision and stay in momentum even when things are falling apart around us.  In this episode, I address these 5 challenges facing women leaders in 2025: Professional Landscape Challenges Persistent Gender Inequities Technological Disruption, Distraction, and Bias Emotional Labor and Mental Health Management Unsupported Caregiving + Sandwiching Systemic Chronic Inner Critic, Imposter Syndrome, and Poor Confidence After I talk through these challenges, I provide strategic suggestions which I hope will offer you some HOPE. Will 2025 be hard? Absolutely. But, hard isn't new to us. So, we got this.   We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This might sound counterintuitive, but great leaders aren't afraid to be a little messy. Being messy is not a hall pass to be careless or cause harm. Being messy is about being your most authentic, imperfect, high-integrity self who isn't afraid to make mistakes and be fumbly in front of others. This is an invitation for women leaders to embrace and model imperfection as a transformative professional strategy. Being an imperfect, messy-at-times leader can be a massive demonstration of strength, self-trust, and confidence. Leading with this level of vulnerability challenges long-standing workplace myths about how women should show up at work while deconstructing the unrealistic expectation that we must be superhuman performers. This opens the door to reimagining leadership as a dynamic, authentic, constantly evolving-for-the-better journey of continuous learning and growth. In this episode, I unpack how modeling mistakes creates psychological safety within teams and organizations, reducing a culture of anxiety and fear of failure. By openly acknowledging our own learning processes rather than putting on airs about having it all figured out, women leaders can dismantle harmful stereotypes that suggest competence at work requires flawless execution. I also share how emotional intelligence and genuine self-awareness actually build deeper, more trusting relationships, signaling to team members that professional development can be a non-linear path filled with exciting opportunities for innovation, self-improvement, and personal transformation. If we check our egos, let go of our internalized perfectionism, and embrace the humility that comes with not having to get it 100% right all the time, we will start to see that being imperfect, modeling learning from mistakes in live time, and letting others know that we don't always get it 100% right is the pathway to building trust, advancing relationships, unlocking creativity, and driving better outcomes. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Through my own evolution as a business owner in recent years and then through watching my son evolve as an athlete recently, I've had the opportunity to personally and professionally consider how our culture's obsession with performance and winning consistently creates toxic narratives that tend to diminish our inherent human value. In this episode, I do a deep dive into separating self-worth from achievement - something I have had to work really hard on as someone who likes to achieve, achieve, achieve at every turn!  I have found that when we let go of our ego and lead with an intentional combination of heart and heart and a healthy dose of self-compassion, we begin to own our inherent worth rather than constantly trying to earn it, allowing us to redefine our success in more fulfilling ways that extend far beyond traditional parameters. I am hoping leaders—especially women who have been conditioned to prove their worth through constant high achievement—will find this episode liberating.  This is an invitation to untie your self-worth from external validation and implement new strategies for developing a more curious, compassionate, growth-oriented mindset.  As you consider how you judge yourself, how you judge others, and how you demonstrate a sense of self-worth to the world, I invite you to think about what would it be like if you disconnected your self-worth from winning, success, and high achievement at every turn. What would it be like if you knew you were innately worthy no matter how you performed? What would it be like if you could confidently walk onto the proverbial field without fear of peer judgment?  And, if your life and/or work plays out on a field of constant judgment, what would it be like to find another field to play on? This episode is an opportunity to challenge the traditional leadership paradigm by suggesting that true power comes not from constant winning, but from understanding our intrinsic value, supporting collective growth, and co-creating psychologically safe environments. My hope is that you'll see yourself—and your potential—through new eyes, unshackled from the damaging belief that your value is something to be constantly proven.   We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As you spend time within your team and organization ideating, creating, and growing, are you conscientiously co-creating a place where each person can participate fully with their best gifts? Is there enough safety and trust for people to take creative risks and ask seemingly silly questions? Have you created a culture where people feel safe to make mistakes? An excerpt from an exhibition on place at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington DC defines “place” as… “about geography - but also about memory and imagination. People make places even as places change people. Places are secured by individual and collective struggle and spirit. Place is where culture is made, where traditions and histories are kept and lost, where identities are created, tested, and reshaped over time.” When we think about the places you co-create with those you lead, how are you creating a place with intentionality and sensitivity to the impact that place will have on all those who inhabit it? People make up a place and each person's unique gifts, talents, and struggles make that place entirely unique. For a place to be secure enough to build culture and traditions, there must be a foundation where the basic needs of security and safety are met. People must have enough trust in this place and the people who inhabit it that they can show up without fear of judgment, criticism, or harm. From there, the people can co-create a place where members can connect with others over shared values, common goals, and a similar sense of meaning and purpose. In this episode, we talk about the importance of place, the steps to take to establish place, and how to overlap and collaborate with other people in other places in mutually beneficial and ethical ways.  Links and Resources Mentioned: Shameless Leadership Episode 906: The Myth of “Safe Spaces” National Museum of African American History and Culture  Gonzaga University Center for Community Engagement We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shame can be a pervasive and isolating experience, but by examining your relationship with shame more closely, you can gain the tools to understand better and transform it. When you're experiencing shame, it's important to ask yourself a series of thoughtful questions designed to break down shame's hold over you. These questions begin by addressing the specifics of a situation, identifying your feelings about the situation, and acknowledging the story you're telling yourself about the situation. Recognizing the stories that fuel your shame can be the first powerful step toward reframing them in a way that aligns with your true values and goals.                       When you challenge shame with curiosity, asking yourself, “What else is true in this situation?”, “What is mine to own here?”, and “What is not mine to own here?”, you can more accurately assess how you want to untangle your shame in order to move forward from it with valuable lessons learned. By considering both responsibility and release, you can find a path to emotional clarity and identify whether apologies or reconciliations might be necessary steps for growth.  If you are carrying shame, it's important to understand how it is holding you back and acknowledge how releasing it will free you. In this episode, you will learn how to rewrite your stories and reframe your narratives around shame in order to move forward with a more compassionate, supportive, and productive inner dialogue. Ultimately, reframing your shame and releasing its stronghold on you will allow you to be a more resourceful and resilient leader.  We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When I facilitate conversations about inclusion and allyship with groups of women, someone inevitably says, “Men need to hear this too!” When I lead mixed-gender rooms of people through similar conversations, I am consistently heartened by how open to listening, learning, and practicing the men in the room are. In my experience, many male leaders want to be better allies, advocates, and accomplices. So, today I'm excited to talk about exactly how to make that happen! In this episode, I unpack the concept of allyship and how male allies can support women through active, meaningful engagement. I introduce a spectrum of allyship, from Allies who support but may not yet take significant action, to Accomplices who leverage their privilege to challenge oppressive systems, often at personal risk. Further along, Advocates bring visibility to issues, promoting gender equity by calling attention to injustices. And, Activists, the most visible allies, directly address social and political issues, often leading change movements to deconstruct systems of oppression. By understanding where they fall on this spectrum, men can find ways to support women in ways that go beyond token support. Allyship becomes actionable when male allies engage deeply with feedback, prioritize active listening, and amplify women's voices in their networks. True allyship requires men to listen to women's experiences and thoughtfully respond to their input, creating spaces where feedback is valued and action is taken. Allies can further their impact by recognizing their own privilege, acknowledging how it affects their perspectives, and then using it to support and advance women's visibility and credibility. When men publicly support women's ideas and contributions, they can combat the common invisibility barriers women face in leadership and contribute to a more inclusive culture. Creating inclusive environments requires men to go beyond merely designating “safe spaces.” Instead, they can work to establish trust, connection, and belonging in spaces that prioritize diverse perspectives. Furthermore, by promoting women's career advancement through mentorship and sponsorship, allies actively work against the systemic limitations placed on women's growth. Male allies who mentor women provide critical access to skills, knowledge, and networks, helping to bridge the gap to leadership positions. Ultimately, allyship is a continuous journey of learning and growth. There is no final destination. True allies engage in ongoing education around gender diversity, emotional intelligence, and inclusivity. This commitment to lifelong learning is key for allies who aim to dismantle systems that only provide advantages to select people and desire to create lasting change in their communities and organizations as part of their leadership legacy.  We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I have had the opportunity to be in the room with some incredible groups of women leaders recently. One of the conversations that has come over and over again is mentorship and modeling. A question I've been inviting women leaders to play with is, “What kinds of values do you want to be modeling to other women leaders? Are there any values that you tend to abandon (likely unconsciously) in your leadership that you would like to do a better job of honoring?” A few things commonly come up as women dig into this question: Boundaries Delegation Rest Because women have been conditioned to constantly over-give, overdo, and over-prove ourselves, it's quite common for us to struggle to: Set boundaries Say “No”  Delegate tasks  Give ourselves the appropriate downtime to rest and recover on a regular basis   We are socialized to constantly self-abandon and self-sacrifice in our roles as employees, leaders, caregivers, wives, neighbors, and community members. What messages are we modeling to other women when we don't set boundaries, trust others enough to ask them for support and give ourselves permission to rest? And, when we self-abandon in front of other women, how are we undermining women in leadership everywhere?  These are tough questions that take a decent amount of self-reflection and critical thinking. This episode is an invitation to start thinking about these questions in a new way that will not only position you to be a better leader but also to take better care of yourself. In this episode, we dig into four ways to improve your leadership by doing less and four small steps you can take to start today. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In anticipation of basketball tryouts today, my 12-year-old went to the park to get in some practice with friends last night. When he got home, he proudly shared that an older kid at the park complimented “hoops”. On the way to school this morning, he told me that he's feeling really nervous about tryouts. It's the first year the kids will be divided into varsity and junior varsity teams. This is big time! As we were walking, I talked to him about the close, often overlapping relationship between nervousness and excitement.   “Mom, I know. You already told me being nervous and being excited are the same thing.”   That's not exactly what I had previously told him…. They are not the same. But if you understand how they are the same and how they are different, you can often use your nervousness to strategically channel excitement.   In this episode, I'll tell you what I told my 12-year-old on the walk to school. Additionally, we'll dive into the fascinating relationship between nervousness and excitement and how women leaders can leverage one over the other for powerful results. Both emotions share similar physiological responses—like increased heart rate, sweaty palms, and heightened awareness—because they are both driven by adrenaline. The key difference lies in how we interpret the situation: nervousness tends to arise when we see a challenge as a threat, while excitement comes when we view the same situation as an opportunity. Understanding this can be the first step in transforming fear into anticipation, empowering women to thrive under pressure. Listen in to hear me share actionable strategies that women leaders can use to shift their mindset and embrace excitement in high-stakes situations. From reframing nervousness as excitement, to focusing on purpose and meaning, to coaching yourself with evidence-based positive self-talk, these techniques are designed to help women leaders feel strong and grounded when stepping into something new, big, or perhaps scary. By connecting to your “why” and viewing leadership moments through a lens of possibility rather than fear, you can approach stressful situations with confidence. This allows you to shift your focus from potential risks to potential rewards creating the excitement needed to succeed. Whether you're preparing for a big presentation, leading a high-profile meeting, or stepping into a new leadership role, this episode will give you practical tips on how to harness excitement, reduce nervousness, and leverage your full potential as a leader. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ahhh, the elusive chase of work-life balance - increasingly referred to as life-work integration. Almost every time I am interviewed I am asked how women leaders can attain a better balance between their personal and professional lives. The struggle to achieve life-work integration impacts most women in leadership. Today, I'm going to invite you to forget about striving for the perfect balance. It's time to rethink how you can blend your personal and professional life in a way that feels fulfilling, manageable, and aligned with your values.  I'm going to share with you three mindset shifts that will help you see life-work integration through a bit of a different lens. Many of the women I coach tell me, “I'm completely failing when it comes to work-life balance”. What if the reason so many of us feel this way is because we have been socialized to be self-sacrificial at almost every turn to prioritize other people's happiness and comfort over our own; we have to out-hustle our male counterparts to get half as far as them; and many of us have to work full-time hours (or more) while also being full-time caregivers.   By the time we get done over-producing, over-giving, and over-proving ourselves each day, we have given the best parts of ourselves to everyone else and all we have left for ourselves is what feels like moldy leftovers. When we take a critical look at why women leaders feel so “out of balance” when it comes to our personal and professional lives, we can see how a shift in perspective can also lead to a shift in behaviors.   In this episode, I offer actionable tips around calendar management, saying, “No”, modeling boundaries, and establishing personal accountability to help you practice reclaiming your time and energy while creating healthier personal and professional boundaries. Your leadership doesn't have to be self-sacrificial at every turn. In fact, you will be a better leader if you learn to navigate life-work integration in a way that consistently acknowledges and prioritizes your needs and wants.  We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You may know by now that I could preach all day about how women are programmed by the patriarchy to show up in this world in very specific ways that primarily (and almost exclusively) benefit white men. Please know when I say “patriarchy” I am referring to a system that is not only harmful to women but also undermines and completely stunts the emotional development of most men. This system benefits few, but the few who benefit have the most tremendous power - globally. Our patriarchal society has created numerous social constructs that lead us to unknowingly behave in ways that benefit some (mostly men) while holding others back (including but not limited to: women, people of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, people with neuro diversities, people with disabilities, and people with larger bodies). Over the years, I've talked about mom guilt as a social construct and imposter syndrome as a social construct. Both of these social constructs are part of a system that intentionally makes women and moms think and behave in specific ways that ultimately limit how they show up in the world. These limitations create more space for others (most commonly white men) to have more opportunities to find success, build wealth, and amass power.   In today's episode, I'm going to talk about perfectionism as a social construct that largely impacts women. We will dig into different forms of perfectionism, as well as how you can start to reject perfectionism to get out of your head and get on with your life. Once you see perfectionism for what it is, I hope you are able to reframe your mindset around it to release some of the internal expectations that have perhaps been holding you back for years - if not decades. Buckle up. This is a good one!   Links mentioned: NYU Article: Problematizing Perfectionism: A Closer Look at the Perfectionism Construct Harvard Business Review Article: How Perfectionists Can Get Out of Their Own Way Harvard Business Review Article: Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome  Book: Inclusion on Purpose by Rushika Tulshyan We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I've recently spent a lot of time in rooms of women. I've been a guest speaker at a couple of women's retreats. I led my own women's retreat. I've been to some incredible networking events for women. And, I just keep being reminded why it is so critical for women to be in rooms with other women. Women are facing epidemic levels of loneliness and isolation. Research from the Campaign to End Loneliness shows that women, more than men, report feelings of loneliness. We often don't see other women in the roles we aspire to have. And, as we rise in leadership, we often don't have many women sitting beside us.   At the end of the day, everyone wants to feel seen, heard, held, and valued. Unfortunately, these are feelings that women don't often experience at work. Frequently, our ideas are dismissed, ignored, or co-opted by men. We're talked over, left out of conversations, and the social events where networking happens aren't always accessible to those of us with caregiving roles. So, where do we go to get the support we need? That's where the power of being in rooms with other women comes in. When we gather with other women, we hear stories that reflect our own experiences, and that creates an undeniable sense of kinship and camaraderie. In these spaces, we're free to ideate, brainstorm, and plan with confidence because we know we're among those who will listen and champion us. We realize we're not alone in navigating a world that wasn't designed for us to thrive in—and that realization is incredibly empowering. In this episode, I explore how women can create spaces of support, share strategies for success, and build networks that lift each other up. When women come together, magic happens—and that magic starts by getting in the room. Tune in to learn: Why women are lonelier than men and how leadership roles often exacerbate isolation The importance of finding spaces where you can feel seen, heard, and valued How being in rooms with other women can spark ideation, support, and shared success Don't miss this powerful conversation on the importance of women creating and finding spaces where we can thrive together. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While I'm not much of a history buff, I am fascinated by humans and human behavior - even ancient human behavior. So, when presented with the opportunity to examine historical models of leadership in my Masters of Organizational Leadership program, I was all in.  In studying leadership models across centuries and then within the decades of the last 120 years, there are undeniable patterns of leadership that are mostly about power and dominance and almost exclusively about the power and dominance of men.  In this episode, we will look at historical models of leadership which for centuries involved leaders who could easily be characterized as narcissists with their tyrannical, manipulative behavior in which they were commonly charming and gaslighting their followers, especially women, in equal proportion. It's pretty fascinating to see how much of this behavior endures in leadership models today.   When we look at these models of leadership, we can see how these depictions of leaders over time have continued to “inspire” models of leadership today. We have repeatedly created systems and structures of leadership that center leaders in roles to have power OVER their followers rather than power WITH their followers.   Understanding the patterns present in these systems can be useful in addressing, disrupting, and dismantling the sexist power structures that commonly exist in these systems, even as we claim to have created new systems that include equal rights for all regardless of gender.   This episode will open your eyes to how we are still very much settling for, if not embracing, aspects of historical models of leadership to the great detriment of women and people who carry marginalized identities. Yet, hope is not lost. There is still time to do better. And, we will.  Link mentioned: Book: Burnout by Emily Nagoski, PhD and Amelia Nagoski, DMA We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I have been in countless rooms over the last few years where the person leading designates the space a “safe space”. This designation is usually given right before an invitation for people to share something that may require some level of vulnerability. While I think the intentions of the folks saying this are good, I think there is actually more potential for harm than good when we deem a space a “safe space” without very seriously considering what creates actual safety for people and how tremendously one person's needs for safety can vary from the next. We also need to recognize that anyone's needs around safety can change on a day-to-day basis. So, it is not on a leader to claim a space as “safe” because there is no way a leader can guarantee actual safety.   I always say that a space is only as safe as the person who feels the least amount of safety deems it to be.   While we cannot guarantee safety, there are definitely steps we can take to build a culture of trust and psychological safety that can go a long way. If you're looking to build a culture of safety there are a handful of things to consider.   If I were to come into your organization and do a psychological safety audit of sorts, here are some things I would examine: How do people talk to each other How do people talk about each other How are mistakes handled How do leaders apologize and take ownership of their mistakes How is support demonstrated in good times and bad How are people given the opportunity to get to know one another as humans - not just coworkers with specific skill sets What routines and rituals are in place that build trust over time How transparent are leaders How accessible are leaders to all levels of team members What is the reputation of the HR department Does HR make it clear what reportable offenses are and how to report them In this episode, I talk about steps you can take to build a foundation of trust and psychological safety so that when you are on the brink of asking people to share ideas or be vulnerable you don't need to make a “safe space” announcement because safety is implied, felt, and held automatically.   We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” Maya Angelou How you make people feel is a big responsibility as a leader. While you cannot control how others perceive and receive you, you can control how you attempt to engage and lead in positive, supportive, and authentic ways.  The way you engage with the people you lead - from saying hello to delegating tasks to providing feedback to saying “Thank you” - matters.   When I was in high school I was lucky enough to have a job where my very first boss, Karen, looked me in the eye and greeted me with a big smile every single day when I arrived at work. She made me feel important and like my contributions were significant even though my work was easily the least significant in the company.   I loved working for Karen. I always knew where I stood with her. I knew I was doing a good job supporting her and the team. And, I knew she would let me know if I needed to course correct in a fumbly moment. I loved making her job just a little bit easier.  I had several bosses who followed Karen who made me feel small, insignificant, and even invisible at times. I had no desire to prove myself to these leaders. In fact, sometimes I looked forward to brushing them off the same way they did me. I knew they didn't deserve the best parts of me, so they didn't get them.  Great leaders' interactions with those whom they lead are consistently additive, meaning they add value to their day and their work.   In this episode, I share the story of Karen vs Ross, my first two bosses who could not have been more opposite in their leadership. In hearing about these two vastly different leadership experiences, I think you will see how the smallest moments of leadership, like saying “Hi!”, can have a big impact on your leadership legacy.   We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a culture that values and rewards outward confidence and assertive communication, it's not surprising that extroverts tend to rise to the top as leaders more predominantly than introverts. Extroverts are commonly outgoing, charismatic, and less socially inhibited than introverts in group settings. While this may sound grand if you were born an extrovert, the downside to extroversion is that extroverts can take up so much space, they don't leave space for others. As leaders, extroverts can be dismissive of introverts and miss significant opportunities to pass the mic, open the floor to other voices, and allow others to feel seen, heard, and valued. In this episode, I dig into some of the risks associated with extroverted leadership, from overbearing communication to lackluster listening skills to overlooking others to general impatience in team environments.   I promise I'm not here to judge you. If you're an extroverted leader who might be the loudest one in the room sometimes, know that I stand beside you. Sometimes I am you. Together, we can take our gifts and make them work for ourselves and for others. This will likely take some self-awareness and honing new skills. But, if you want to be an inclusive leader who holds space for everyone in the room, this is your job.   As your self-awareness grows, you will likely realize that you have so many valuable lessons to learn from your introverted counterparts. Introverts often have the sage wisdom that you can't quite harness in high-stress moments. They are keen observers who see things you and I don't see. And, their ideas and opinions are often exactly the missing pieces you've been looking for - if you just get quiet enough to let them speak.   Extroverted leaders can be more inclusive of introverts by adopting strategies that create space for different work styles, encourage diverse contributions, and foster a more balanced team dynamic. In this episode, I talk through specific strategies to foster safety and trust in order to create spaces where extroverts and introverts can communicate and thrive side by side.  As extroverted leaders, we have a lot to say. But our ideas are not better and are not more important. Let's make sure we are holding space for all voices so we may all benefit from everyone's gifts.   Link mentioned:  Join my September Influence & Ignite Retreat for small business owners: shamelessmom.com/retreat We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The difference in self-assurance between men and women, particularly in professional settings, is called the confidence gap. This gap describes how, despite equal or even greater competence, women tend to underestimate their abilities and hesitate to pursue leadership roles, promotions, or high-stakes opportunities compared to men. In this powerful episode, I dive into the challenges women in leadership face when it comes to building and maintaining confidence. I examine how gender bias, social conditioning, and systemic barriers contribute to the confidence gap that impacts women leaders at every level. A few of the reasons women leaders struggle with confidence: Gender Bias and Social Conditioning: Women are often subjected to cultural expectations and stereotypes that create unrealistic standards. This societal pressure fosters doubt, insecurity, and a lack of confidence in leadership roles. The Social Constructs of Imposter Syndrome and Perfectionism: Many women leaders struggle with worthiness, feeling as if they don't deserve their success. Perfectionism compounds this, leading to a constant sense of inadequacy. Lack of Representation and Support: The scarcity of women in leadership positions results in fewer mentorship and sponsorship opportunities, leaving women feeling isolated and unsupported. Microaggressions: Everyday words, actions, and undermining behaviors perpetrated by those with more power than you that may seem minor, but over time, reflect an abusive environment that greatly erodes the confidence and well-being of women leaders. Confidence doesn't have to remain elusive. Together, we will unpack gender bias, social conditioning, and societal constructs that undermine women's confidence while also exploring actionable strategies to overcome these obstacles. You will walk away from this episode ready to find a strong network of women leaders, take steps to own the confidence that is your birthright and practice new communication skills that allow you to not only shine more brightly but also feel more bright as you shine in your various roles in work and life. Link mentioned:  Join my September Influence & Ignite Retreat for small business owners: shamelessmom.com/retreat We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Building a powerful and intentional personal leadership brand is essential to your leadership legacy. Whether you're an emerging leader or a leader looking to refine your current leadership style, this episode will give you actionable steps to create a personal leadership brand that aligns with your core values and allows you to make greater ripples of impact as you lead. We explore the following key questions to help guide your journey: What do you want to be known for as a leader? What legacy are you intentionally building right now? What are your current personal and leadership values, and how are you incorporating them into your work? Here are 5 steps you can work through to build your personal leadership brand: Identify the values you want to embody and uphold as a leader Reflect on the values that matter most to you and how you want to embody them as a leader. These values will form the foundation of your personal leadership brand. Determine how these values make you stand out as a leader Understand how your unique values overlap with your strengths, talents, and gifts to differentiate you from other leaders. Conduct a values assessment Check in on how you are currently leading with your values and determine where there is room for growth to incorporate your values into your leadership in ways that allow your personal leadership brand to shine. Take small steps to embody these values Start making intentional choices that reflect the leader you want to be. Small, consistent actions over time build trust, likeability, and credibility. This is how you build your leadership capital over time.   Practice pausing in high-stress moments In times of pressure, take a breath and a pause to reflect on how you want to show up. In this pause, you have the chance to recall your values and make a decision through the lens of your values instead of high emotions.  By taking the time to define what you stand for and practicing the embodiment of these values, you can craft a personal leadership brand that reflects your true identity and creates a lasting legacy. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today is the day! The first episode of Shameless Leadership is LIVE. I couldn't be more excited!   In this first episode of Shameless Leadership, I dig into one of my very favorite topics: why women need to take up more space. This is a topic I have been passionate about for a long time now. In fact, you've likely heard me rant about it before. It feels like the perfect topic to kick off this new show for women leaders.  Recent data overwhelmingly tells us that the number of women in leadership still doesn't come close to representing the number of women in society.  According to Leanin.org's Women in the Workplace 2023 Report: Women represent roughly 1 in 4 C-suite leaders, and women of color just 1 in 16. Progress for early-career Black women remains the furthest out of reach. In 2023, for every 100 men promoted from entry-level to manager positions, only 54 Black women were promoted. After rising to 82 in 2020 and 96 in 2021, the promotion rate for Black women to manager has fallen back to lower than it was in 2019. Because of our “broken rung” system (described in this episode), in a typical company, men end up holding 60% of manager-level positions, while women hold just 40%. As a result, there are fewer women to be promoted to director, and the number of women decreases at every subsequent level. The impact of “microaggressions” experienced at work by women or any other marginalized group are anything but “micro”. In fact, they have a macro effect long term.  If women are to occupy more leadership roles, we must start intentionally taking up more space. We must demand more space. In this episode, I share how women are socialized to shrink our bodies, hold back our ideas and opinions, and play small in all aspects of our lives. From there, I dig into specific steps you can take to start taking up more space and stop accepting without question the leadership, thoughts, and opinions of those who have more power than you (ie: men).  If you're ready to take up more space, use your voice in new ways, and take a seat at any table, this episode is for you. Links Mentioned:  Join my September Influence & Ignite Retreat for small business owners: shamelessmom.com/retreat Article: Leanin.org Women in the Workplace 2023 Learn about my speaking, training, and coaching: saradean.com Connect with me on LinkedIn: saradean.com/linkedin We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: Shameless Leadership Sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you've caught the last few episodes of the show, you know that change is upon us. It's not a goodbye change, but a level-up change. We are growing and evolving - together. All that we have learned together over the last 8.5 years has led us to this moment where we are stepping into a new podcast identity. This is so exciting! As we celebrate episode 900 (omg - 900!!!), we are also celebrating the transition of this little podcast-that-could from The Shameless Mom Academy to Shameless Leadership. This is the last episode you will hear in this feed that begins with “Welcome to the Shameless Mom Academy…”   Come next week, you will see a new episode in this feed with a new title, Shameless Leadership. Taking everything we have learned together over the last 8.5 years, we are elevating our knowledge, gifts, and confidence to have bigger conversations for women leaders (at al levels). These conversations will be about everything from shutting down your inner critic and imposter syndrome to overcoming perfectionism to using your voice in new ways to advocate for yourself, your ideas, and other folks carrying marginalized identities. Each week on Shameless Leadership, you'll hear practical tips, effective strategies, and inspiring stories that will enhance your leadership skills and broaden your perspective to help you become a more confident, intentional, inclusive, and empathetic leader. Shameless Leadership is for women, gender minorities, and allies who want to create spaces where people who have not had the advantage of a male identity can rise, lead, and thrive.   The mission of Shameless Leadership is to be a community of people of all genders who believe everyone deserves to feel seen, heard, held, valued, and supported. Our mission is to help you foster these feelings within your own circles of influence so you can build trust, psychological safety, and a culture of belonging in all the places you take up space. This is a show by women for everyone. If you have been listening to the SMA for the last few years, months, or weeks, this is still a place for you to learn, grow, and connect. I could not be more honored to continue to be in your ear. And, I'm so excited about our future together.  Link mentioned: Join my September Influence & Ignite Retreat for small business owners: shamelessmom.com/retreat We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When I started thinking about the final interview for the SMA before we rebrand the show as Shameless Leadership, I knew I wanted to do something special. It occurred to me that it could be fun to have someone turn the mic on me and ask me about the show over the last 8 years. Once I had this idea, I knew Laura Cathcart Robbins, my dear friend and a friend of the show, was the perfect person to turn the mic on me!   In this episode, Laura takes us behind the scenes of the last 8 years of the Shameless Mom Academy. We talk about my original vision for the show and how it evolved over time. She asked me about (hard) lessons learned, the biggest gifts of the show, and why this podcast pivot makes so much sense right now.   I can't wait for you to hear a little about the ongoings of the show that you haven't had the chance to “see” over the last 8.5 years. And, I'm thrilled to give you some sneak peeks into what is coming down the pipeline (so much greatness!!) Links mentioned: Join my September Influence & Ignite Retreat for small business owners: shamelessmom.com/retreat Connect with Laura Cathcart Robbins: lauracathcartrobbins.com Laura's Podcast: The Only One in the Room Laura's Book: Stash: My Life in Hiding We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are some exciting changes in store for the future of The Shameless Mom Academy and this episode is where you can get all the dirty deets!   Over the last 8.5 years, I have grown so much. And, YOU have grown so much right alongside me.   About a year ago, I had an idea for a bit of a new direction for the show that would allow us to continue to grow together. My skills, talents, and expertise have evolved dramatically over the last 8.5 years and I know yours have too. I want to make sure that I continue to create content that provides the most optimal learning experience for you. I want to meet you where you are at. We are all in a different place than we were even a couple of years ago, so a refreshed sense of direction makes a lot of sense right now.  With that, there are a few things that will change for the show after we release episode 900. Rest assured, there are also quite a few things that are staying the same. BUT, I don't want you to be totally confused when you tune into episode 901 - like, “What is even happening here?!?” Spoiler alert, the show is getting a new name. You'll want to know that before episode 901 lands in your feed!  In this episode, I share why the show is evolving, what is changing (yes, I'll share the new name!), what is not changing, and what I've learned over the last 8.5 years that may potentially have a deep impact on you.   This episode is not to be missed! Link mentioned: Join my September Influence & Ignite Retreat for small business owners: shamelessmom.com/retreat We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jill Castle is one of the nation's premier childhood nutrition experts. She is the founder and CEO of The Nourished Child®, a nutrition education website and podcast for parents. She is the author of 6 books that support children's health and nutrition, including her newest book, Kids Thrive at Every Size. Known for her ability to blend current research, practical application, and common sense, Jill believes that children can thrive at every size. With her paradigm-shifting, whole-child approach, she inspires parents, healthcare professionals, and organizations that serve children and families to think differently about young people's health and well-being. Jill is a sought-after speaker, advisor, and media contributor. She serves as an expert reviewer for Parents.com, and has been featured as a guest expert in CNN, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Forbes, Newsweek, and Time, to name a few. Jill is also a Shameless Mom to four adult-ish children and lives in Massachusetts with her husband. I'm lucky enough to call Jill a friend. When she shared her concept for this book with me, I knew I had to share her work with you all. We have dedicated a number of episodes to talking about women, body image, and Diet Culture. But, we haven't talked as much about kids, body image, and Diet Culture. It is time for this conversation and Jill is the best person to talk about it with.  Listen in to hear Jill share: A sneak peek into what it's like parenting 4 young adults Common worries for parents of children who have larger or smaller sized bodies and what might surprise you about your child's size The Fix-Size model vs Embrace-Size model of approaching your child's body size How growing up with a smaller or larger body makes life more challenging for kids today The significant difference between feeding and eating and how you might be helicopter feeding your child(ren) The impact of family culture beyond food & nutrition when raising a healthy child The reality that most kids experience body dissatisfaction across all genders, all sizes - and starting as early as age 3 Links Mentioned: Join my September Influence & Ignite Retreat for small business owners: shamelessmom.com/retreat Get the Book: Pre-order Kids Thrive at Every Size and get Jill's pre-order bonuses! Connect with Jill: thenourishedchild.com Hire Jill to speak of consult: jillcastle.com Jill on IG: @i.am.pediRD Jill on FB: facebook.com/thenourishedchild Jill on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jillcastle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tiffany Cagwin is a Certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner, Hypnotherapist, and Yoga Teacher. She is an experienced executive leader and transformational coach who has a passion for helping others thrive by guiding them to shift their mindset, take action toward goals, and embrace self-care. Tiffany is passionate about healing excess stress, fatigue, and pain that many mothers experience. She is an explorer at heart, who has a never-ending curiosity for learning new things and expanding her education. When Tiffany approached me to talk about chronic energy shortages and the implications for mothers especially, I was all in. I think this is a topic that we need to be talking about and is not currently getting the exposure it needs. If you find yourself experiencing chronic fatigue, struggling with energy management, or always feeling depleted, this episode is for you. Listen in to hear Tiffany share: The key reasons we are seeing more people suffer from chronic fatigue and large energy shortages The most common causes of chronic fatigue for working moms Your two biggest opportunities to optimize health each day How to distinguish between feeling tired and chronic fatigue Time-efficient, energy-boosting habits and how to integrate them  How to advocate for your own energy needs in personal and professional environments Links mentioned: Attend my Influence & Ignite Retreat for Women Business Owners: shamelessmom.com/retreat Connect with Tiffany: https://tiffanycagwin.com/ Tiffany on LinkedIn Tiffany on IG Red Light Shortcut for iPhone:  We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As you prepare for motherhood, you think about things like what color to paint the nursery, which car seat is the safest, and what your birth plan should include. You carefully pick out cute tiny clothes, booties, and hats while you dream about sweet snuggles and that first baby smile.   You likely don't think about the mental load of motherhood. You don't consider how much your brain will have to expand, compartmentalize, and carry. Shortly after that sweet baby arrives, you feel the intensity and demands of your daily life balloon in ways you never imagined. This continues for years; decades, actually.  If you feel like you're carrying a heavy load all the time, you are. The mental load of motherhood is immense. Over time, you become numb to it. You don't realize you're chronically tired, overwhelmed, anxious, and emotionally drained because it feels normal.  This is motherhood. That feeling of not recognizing yourself, forgetting who you were before kids, and not knowing who you'll be when the kids no longer need you? It's normal. The whiplash from rapidly switching roles from mom to professional, family project manager, and community caregiver that leaves your head spinning? Also normal. The constant trade-offs that cost you time, energy, and joy? Also normal. I'm not saying this to make you feel worse—only to point out that this is pretty much a universal experience of motherhood. You are not alone. What if acknowledging all this helped you see how much you are carrying, while also recognizing that change is necessary - and possible? In this episode, we explore four ways to navigate the mental load of motherhood, helping you find more mental ease, joy, and comfort in your daily life. Link mentioned: Attend my Influence & Ignite Retreat for Women Business Owners: shamelessmom.com/retreat We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices