That's not a character flaw. That's fawning — and it might be the least understood dynamic in communication.

Dr. Ingrid Clayton is a licensed clinical psychologist, trauma expert, and author of Fawning: Why the Need to Please Makes Us Lose Ourselves, and How to Find Our Way Back.

I am closing Season 6 of my podcast with this conversation, and let me tell you ... we get INTO IT! 

🧠 What fawning actually is — and why calling it "people-pleasing" has kept millions of people stuck in shame instead of healing

⚡ Why high achievers are especially vulnerable — and how fawning can look exactly like success until it doesn't

🏢 What's really happening in your meetings — when brilliant people go silent, fold, or suddenly can't stop praising the boss

💪 The path out — practical, embodied tools for building an internal sense of safety that doesn't depend on the room agreeing with you

🔥 What "un-fawning" actually feels like — and why it's less about setting boundaries and more about finally coming home to yourself

Find Dr. Ingrid Clayton:

🌐 ingridclayton.com

📸 instagram.com/ingridclaytonphd

📘 facebook.com/IngridClaytonPhD

▶️ youtube.com/channel/UC3PvWTgJMirURfgHWj3h28g

✉️ substack.com/@ingridclaytonphd

I expected them to show up enthusiastically and willing to share their thoughts and ideas.

What I didn’t expect was a masterclass in leadership.

When I asked them what makes a great leader, they didn’t say confidence. They didn’t say authority. They didn’t say being the smartest person in the room.

They said:

• listening well

• letting others shine

• admitting when you don’t know

• working collaboratively

• choosing courage even when you’re afraid

How many of us struggle as GROWN UPS to lead this way!? 

They also talked about stress and how leadership means learning to manage pressure without losing empathy.

I mean … can I get an AMEN!?

If this is how the next generation thinks about leadership, the future may be more emotionally intelligent, collaborative, and human than anything we’ve seen before.

Honestly it gave me hope, and in case you need a shot of hope this week, give this a listen.

This event supports tuition assistance and is an exceptionally great time. I’ll be there in full glam. ;)

Presentation High School Fashion Show 📅 April 18 🔗https://www.presentationhs.org/support/life-in-plaid

The event is supported by a group of local retailers and partners:

• Jennifer Kroll

• Remi B

• Cabi

• Macy’s

• Kismet

• Bella James

• Winchester Western Ware

• Cactus Lounge

• Virgo Santa Cruz

(Grateful to see businesses investing in young leaders and their community.)

I’m joined by Annie Wright, LMFT—Annie is a licensed psychotherapist, trauma recovery specialist, executive coach, and author. Annie is also a successfully exited CEO of a multi-million dollar company and she now helps ambitious humans heal relational trauma so they can build lives that feel good on the inside, not just look good on paper. Annie is on Substack at Strong and Stable with a debut book on the way. She’s been quoted everywhere from Forbes to NBC to NPR.

I wanted to have Annie on the show to talk about what it actually takes for high-achieving women to feel good on the inside, and not just look successful on paper and this conversation definitely did not disappoint!

This episode is for the woman who:

• Is highly capable, deeply trusted, and visibly successful

• Has done everything right in the career playbook 

• And still feels chronically anxious, exhausted, or empty

We talk about why that happens—and what actually helps.

✨ The “high-functioning woman” profile Why so many ambitious women learned early that achievement = safety, validation, or love—and how that wiring eventually breaks down.

🧠 Little-t vs. Big-T trauma (and why “nothing bad happened to me” is often the tell) Annie breaks down relational and developmental trauma in a way that is deeply clarifying—and deeply relieving.

🏗️ The “House of Life” metaphor Why cracks in the foundation don’t always show up early… but will show up once the house gets taller (hello promotions, leadership, parenting, visibility).

🔥 Fear-fuel and fossil fuels Why running on anxiety and over-functioning works—until it poisons everything.

🫁 Nervous system tools you can use in real life Including Annie’s powerful 90-Second Wave for high-stakes meetings and hard conversations.

🧭 The Values Anchor Statement How to ground yourself in integrity, bravery, or truth when being liked is at odds with being honest.

💬 The myth that healing will make you lose your edge (And why the most powerful leaders we know are actually surrounded by support.)

All of these are included in her workbook here.

• The 90-Second Wave – a nervous-system regulation tool for moments of acute stress

• Values Anchor Statements – using your core values as leverage during hard conversations

• Judith Herman’s Three-Phase Trauma Recovery Model

  1. Safety & Stabilization

  2. Processing

  3. Meaning-Making & Integration

• EMDR Therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

• The idea that “trauma survivors have symptoms, not memories”

• The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel van der Kolk

• Annie’s upcoming book: Decade of Decisions (W.W. Norton, forthcoming 2027)

“A regulated nervous system makes more things possible—without a doubt.”

This week, I sit down with business advisor, speaker, and bestselling author Patty Azzarello, whose new book, Why Is She Still Here? My Ungraceful Journey from the Playground to the Boardroom tells the story of how she rose through some of the toughest, most male-dominated rooms in tech—all while battling social anxiety, subtle biases, and expectations so low she felt like she had to prove her right to exist in every meeting.

In this conversation, Patty and I talk about:

Not the marketing version—the emotional truth: what it feels like to be the woman people silently (or loudly) underestimate… and why Patty simply refused to leave.

Patty shares how every major step in her career was accompanied by fear—and why courage isn’t the absence of fear but the willingness to show up anyway.

Her brilliant, brave younger self shows up in the book for a reason—and Patty explains how reconnecting with the child you were before the world hurt you can unlock creativity, resilience, and truth.

Patty unpacks the 1963 “smart rat / stupid rat” experiment and connects it to modern corporate life in a way that will stop you in your tracks. (This one hit me hard.)

Patty shares stories, strategies, and the mindset that allowed her to keep standing, keep leading, and keep advancing.

Why being “all business” works—until it doesn’t. And how a simple, human question transformed Patty’s executive presence.

From romantic partners to friends to colleagues: who lifts you up, who drains you, and why managing your energy may matter more than managing your calendar.

• Patty’s Book: Why Is She Still Here? My Ungraceful Journey from the Playground to the Boardroom

• Patty on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattyazzarello/

• Patty on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patty.azzarello

Don’t have time to listen, but want to join in the fun? Head over to my Substack (bronwyncommunications.substack.com) and you’ll find each prompt, question, and reflection — all here for you to work through at your own pace, without needing to re-listen. Grab your pen, your calendar, and your coffee. Let’s reclaim your power, honor what 2025 taught you, and prepare your spirit for a bold, brave 2026.

This week, I’m thrilled to bring you a conversation that weaves together the power of connection, vulnerability, and the active work of redefining and expanding our understanding of what it means to be a man.

My guest, Stephen Seidel—TEDx speaker, storyteller, brand strategist, and founder of the Gents Journey men’s collective—delivers on every level. His candor, humor, and depth make this an episode you’ll want to bookmark, share, and revisit.

• Connection as Currency: Steve and I dig into the idea that real, present-moment connection (”from the heart, not from the head”) is what fuels deep relationships, community, and leadership.

• The Stories We Tell: We explore how our inherited family stories, personal histories, and even first names shape our sense of self, and how reframing those stories can unlock new directions.

• “Growth Friends”: Stephen shares the genesis of his men’s group, the importance of “growth friends,” and the transformational power of safe, structured spaces where men can talk openly (about business, marriages, grief, and everything in between).

• Modern Masculinity, Redefined: Through honest dialogue, we unpick generational expectations around “manliness” and what true strength means. Vulnerability, emotional awareness, and making time for fun all have a place at the table.

• Toolkits for Change: Whether it’s the “Journey Deck” of conversation cards, weekly meetings with spouses, or exercises borrowed from The Artist’s Way, this episode is packed with practical tools you can try this week.

Helpful Links:

• Gent’s Journey Card Deck

• Men’s Group: GentsJourney.co

• TEDx Talk: https://rebrand.ly/seidelspeaking

Jen shares what it means to build trust at the micro (self), meso (teams), and macro (systems) levels—and why most leaders wait until a full-blown crisis to start thinking about it. She explains why trust isn’t a “soft skill” but a business multiplier, how storytelling with integrity builds psychological safety, and why true repair starts with aligning your head, heart, and gut.

Whether you’re leading through disruption, guiding a team after layoffs, or simply trying to rebuild confidence in your culture, this conversation is a masterclass in becoming the signal in the noise.

In this episode:

• The inside story of Starbucks’ 2018 trust-repair initiative

• Why trust isn’t performative

• How leaders can embody their company’s stated values

• The power of storytelling with integrity

• Jen’s framework for trust mapping and “intrinsic wayfinding”

Helpful Links:

• A Story of Access Stanley Nelson film for Starbucks

• Jen Randle - SGNL Advisory; and connect with her on Instagram, Substack

• WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert addresses player criticism, CBA, officiating, job security, The Athletic

Sound familiar?

The good news: great presenting isn’t as binary as innate talent — it’s about having a workflow that brings out the best in you and your ideas. And today, I’m giving you the full workflow — the step-by-step system I’ve refined over 20 years coaching leaders at NVIDIA, Zoom, LinkedIn, Cisco, Stanford University, Pixar, and more. It’s also the same process that’s helped over 140 speakers deliver game-changing TED, TEDx, and TEDGlobal talks.

Need free detailed shownotes with the framework all in one spot? Head over to https://bronwyncommunications.substack.com/ See you there!

The truth is, most of us were taught (or fell into) a broken workflow for preparing talks. We procrastinate, panic, recycle old decks, and overload our audiences with information. No wonder presenting feels stressful — and no wonder audiences struggle to stay engaged.

But here’s the good news: great communication isn’t about innate talent. It’s about having the right workflow.

In this week’s episode of 20 Minutes with Bronwyn, I share the first three steps of a system I’ve honed over 20 years coaching leaders at NVIDIA, Zoom, LinkedIn, Cisco, Stanford, Pixar, and more. I’ve also used this exact approach to help more than 140 people give TED, TEDx, and TEDGlobal talks that change the way audiences see the world.

• Why procrastination + panic is its own (terrible) workflow

• How today’s shrinking attention spans demand a new way of preparing

• Step 1: The Logistics Check — the baseline questions that save you from nasty surprises. And here’s a PDF of that checklist handy and printable.

• Step 2: Audience Empathy — the mindset shift that changes everything about how your message lands.

• Step 3: The Sandbox — a game-changing way to collect ideas, inspiration, and data so your subconscious can work with you instead of against you.

This is the foundation for upgrading how you show up as a communicator. Whether you’re presenting to your team, pitching an idea, or stepping onto a big stage, these simple shifts will make the process less stressful — and your talks infinitely more powerful.

Need a quick breakdown of the episode? Here ya go …

00:00 Introduction to 20 Minutes with Bronwyn

01:23 Debunking the Myth of Innate Talent in Communication

03:20 The Old Workflow: Why It Fails

04:41 Introducing the my 24k Workflow

05:23 Step One: The Logistics Check

12:05 Step Two: Audience Empathy

17:23 Step Three: Creating a Sandbox

21:05 Conclusion and Next Steps

And stay tuned — in Part 2, I’ll show you how to move from a pile of ideas to a structured, compelling presentation that actually lands.

Shine on. We need your light! Bronwyn

This season is about sharpening our communication edge, nourishing our creativity, and finding new ways to thrive in a world that seems busier (and noisier) than ever. And who better to launch with than Natalie Nixon?

My guest today is Natalie Nixon, PhD — creativity strategist, president of Figure 8 Thinking, and one of the most generous, provocative thinkers I know. Natalie has spent her career helping leaders and organizations unlock creativity as a strategic advantage. She’s the author of The Creativity Leap and her brand-new book Move. Think. Rest.:Redefining Productivity & Our Relationship with Time, which reframes how we think about productivity, burnout, and flourishing.

In our conversation, we dive into:

• Why “real rest” is a radical act — and why most of us have never actually witnessed it.

• How daydreaming and procrastination aren’t signs of laziness but tools for sharper thinking.

• What Taylorism (the stopwatch-on-the-factory-floor era) has to do with our guilt around taking breaks.

• The Motor Framework — Natalie’s elegant approach to work rooted in move, think, rest.

• The difference between Chronos time (clock time) and Kairos time (time outside of time — the magic moments).

• Why intuition is not woo-woo, but actually grounded in neuroscience and the vagus nerve.

• Practical rituals to bring creativity back into your workflow: from Bill Gates’ “think weeks” to gamifying daydreaming.

• How rethinking meetings can transform culture (Zapier’s no-meeting week, question-storming, the law of two feet).

• The power of collective effervescence — how joy with others fuels our best work.

Want links to resources mentioned in the show? Head on over to my Substack!

Shine on, my friend. We need your light!

Shira Gill is a globally recognized home organizing expert and bestselling author with a minimalist philosophy. She has inspired thousands of people to clear clutter from their homes and lives, and developed a process and toolkit that anyone can employ, regardless of budget, space, or lifestyle. In addition to LifeStyled, Shira is the author of Minimalista and Organized Living, and has been featured in 100+ print and media outlets including Good Morning America, Architectural Digest, Vogue, Real Simple, and The New York Times. 

For her latest book, Shira interviewed some of the most intentional, organized people on the planet and found there were three KEY themes running through each of their lives. Fascinated, and inspired by what she had learned, she began to apply these same themes in her own life, and watched the subsequent transformation.

Lifestyled gives us access to these themes, along with the systems and habits that will unlock a more intentional life.

Here’s how to find Shira:

Links:

www.shiragill.com 

@shiragill

Newsletter + Community

Books:

Organized Living

Minimalista

LifeStyled

This conversation with Shira was so clarifying, I’ve decided to wind down Season 5  in order to regroup and recharge on the podcast front. I will pick it up again in early 2025. 

So grateful for your time and your presence.

Shine on, my friend. We need your light!B

Sorry. I have ZERO chill about this episode.

If it were a Friends episode, it would be called:

The One Where Bronwyn Meets Her Hero and Learns to Stop Being So Anxious.

Or maybe

The One When Dr. Martha Beck Changes All of Our Lives and Cures Our Anxieties.

But, because I am trying to act like a grown up and not a teenage fangirl, the episode is actually called Beyond Anxiety: My Conversation with Dr. Martha Beck.

Every few years, Martha Beck publishes a book that melts my face off with its insight and warmth (ahem The Way of Integrity, The Joy Diet, Steering by Starlight), and I am THRILLED to share that she is about to do it again. 

This time, Dr. Beck is tackling the issue of our modern age with her new book Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity, and Finding Your Life's Purpose, which will drop January 7, 2025.

This conversation was everything I hoped it would be and has profoundly impacted the way I move through my life. My hope is that it does the same for you.

In case you’ve been living under a rock and you’re not familiar with her work, let me break it down …

Dr. Martha Beck, PhD, is a New York Times bestselling author, coach, and speaker. She holds THREE Harvard degrees in social science, and Oprah Winfrey has called her “one of the smartest women I know.” Martha is a passionate and engaging teacher, known for her unique combination of science, humor, and spirituality. Her recent book, The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self, was an instant New York Times Best Seller and an Oprah’s Book Club selection.

Here’s where you can find her on the Interwebs … (and I can personally recommend her online courses. I’m still using the skills I learned from a writing course I took years ago):

Dr. Beck's Website:  https://marthabeck.com

Dr. Beck's upcoming book: Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity, and Finding Your Life's Purpose

IG: https://www.instagram.com/themarthabeck/

Shine on, my friend. We need your light.

Adam wrote this book in an effort to help us solve the great crisis of our time—disconnection. He makes an incredibly compelling argument that if you look at what ails us the most, it can be traced back to disconnection. But rather than simply worship the problem, Adam has written us a roadmap describing the 4 types of connection, allowing us to find our way back to each other and to ourselves so that we can live lives we love.

This conversation will inspire you and unlock a whole new level of joy in your life.

In case you’re new around here, let me give you some background on Adam. Dr. Adam Dorsay is a licensed psychologist and executive coach in Silicon Valley where he serves high-achieving adults (including professionals, executives, entrepreneurs, and professional athletes). Adam is the host of SuperPsyched, an award-winning podcast, and he’s given two highly regarded TEDx Talks: one about men and their emotions and the other about friendship in adulthood. His book on the topic of the four ways people connect will be available later this year.

Beyond his private practice, Adam is a resiliency expert who co-created an international program for Facebook’s Online Safety employees for several years. He now serves as the resiliency consultant to DigitalOcean and has frequent requests from the media for interviews and corporations to provide keynotes and training.

Resources Mentioned✨

Adamdorsay,com

Super Psyched Podcast

Super Psyched Book

"Friendships in Adulthood: 5 Things to Know"

"Emotions: The Data Men Miss"

Dr. Adam Dorsay’s Instagram

Shine on, my friend. We need your light!

This time, I turn my focus to funding and fundraising. And I am delighted to have Jessie Gabriel as my wingwoman. Jessie Gabriel is founder and CEO of All Places, a first-of-its-kind, mission-driven law firm working to close the gender equity gap in capital markets.

Jessie and I covered a lot of ground, including:

• Her “money story” and how this story affected her.
• How female and female-identifying founders are affected by negative money stories, and how to shift those negative narratives into strategies that get them funded. 
• How male founders typically think about growth and scale and what we can learn from them (or unlearn from them).
• How we can focus on those things we can control in fundraising environments that often seem rigged (and NOT in our favor).

What I loved most about this conversation was learning how Jessie was raised by a single working mother in Southern California, a woman who struggled economically to provide for her family. In other words, Jessie's success comes with a deep appreciation of how gender norms and unequal access to capital contribute to a systemic lack of opportunities for women-identifying entrepreneurs and executives. Jessie has worked at some of the country’s most prestigious firms, including Cravath, Swaine & Moore and BakerHostetler, where she was the youngest woman to lead her own team and launched the firm’s first Investment Funds practice. Her wisdom and words are solid gold, and I can’t wait to share them with you.

Resources ✨

Jessie's LinkedIn

All Places Website

All Places Instagram

The Outset Branding Firm

Shine on, my friend! ✨

Ophira Edut is one of the most sought-after astrologers and intuitive advisors of our times. As the longtime resident astrologers for ELLE Magazine and the authors of over 20 books, Ophira and her twin sister Tali are advisors to a roster of CEOs, celebrities, global leaders and successful entrepreneurs including Beyoncé, Dua Lipa, and Emma Roberts.

Ophi and Tali have a NEW new book coming out that has been described as “Atomic Habits meets the Wisdom of the Enneagram” and let me tell ya … it delivers on that promise. The book is called The Astrology Advantage: Use Your Horoscope for Personal & Professional Success and it drops NEXT WEEK!

I’ve always loved the Enneagram, Meyers Briggs and DISC for understanding our collective differences, but it’s overwhelming to try and remember all of the permutations and personality types as you navigate difficult conversations and situations. 

Ophi is here to teach us The I*AM System, a simple, easy to remember framework that distills the energy of your full birth chart into a single archetype, unlocking personal productivity, and team harmony. It's simple (just THREE archetypes to remember), *deep* and shockingly accurate.

And if you’re clutching your pearls, wondering what a "serious" business person like me is doing dabbling in astrology … unclutch and give this a listen. 

Resources Mentioned ✨

Astrostyle.com

The Astrology Advantage

Live Events with the Astrotwins

Follow Ophi on Instagram

Follow the Astrotwins on Instagram

Shine on, my friend.

In case you don’t know him, Dr. Adam Dorsay is a licensed psychologist and executive coach in Silicon Valley where he serves high-achieving adults (including professionals, executives, entrepreneurs, and professional athletes). Adam is the host of SuperPsyched, an award-winning podcast, and he’s given two highly regarded TEDx Talks: one about men and their emotions and the other about friendship in adulthood. His book on the topic of the four ways people connect will be available later this year.

Beyond his private practice, Adam is a resiliency expert who co-created an international program for Facebook’s Online Safety employees for several years. He now serves as the resiliency consultant to DigitalOcean and has frequent requests from the media for interviews and corporations to provide keynotes and training.

Resources Mentioned✨

Adamdorsay,com

Super Psyched Podcast

Super Psyched Book

"Friendships in Adulthood: 5 Things to Know"

"Emotions: The Data Men Miss"

Dr. Adam Dorsay’s Instagram

The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm

Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

Authentic Happiness - University of Pennsylvania

Enjoy, and shine on, my friend. We need your light.

Occupying the number one spot on 20 Minutes with Bronwyn is none other than the magnificent Corey Rosen. Corey’s book, Your Story Well Told: Creative Strategies to Develop and Perform Stories that Wow an Audience, is one I recommend to anyone looking to enhance their storytelling skills. Corey hosts The Moth Story Slam and Grand Slams, has been featured on The Moth Radio Hour, and is a company performer in BATS Improv.

It’s no wonder this episode was so popular … Corey offers powerful, practical, and (dare I say) fun advice and strategies for telling better stories.

Resources Mentioned✨

Coreyrosen.com

Follow Corey on Facebook

Follow Corey on Instagram

BATS Improv

Your Story, Well Told: Creative Strategies to Develop and Perform Stories that Wow an Audience

The Moth StorySLAM

Ken Adams’ The Story Spine

Storyworthy by Matthew Dicks

Ira Glass on Creativity

Enjoy, my friends and may your summer be full of great stories in the making! ✨ 

Someone who has been ringing the alarm bells on what has become a “toxic achievement culture” in the U.S. is the amazing Denise Pope, Ph.D.

Dr. Denise Pope is a senior lecturer at Stanford’s Graduate School of Education, and co-founder/strategic advisor at Challenge Success. She is the author of, “Doing School”: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students (Yale University Press, 2001), which was awarded Notable Book in Education by the American School Board Journal, 2001, and co-author of Overloaded and Underprepared: Strategies for Stronger Schools and Healthy, Successful Kids (Jossey-Bass, 2015).

Denise and I get VERY real on why even the most well-resourced kids are suffering, crashing, and burning in this insane drive to get into the “right” schools.

Gems:

✨How to help your kids define “success” in terms that contribute to actual satisfaction and well being. [4:16]

✨The game changing, life changing magic of sleep … and why most teenagers aren’t getting enough of it. [9:30]

✨The one thing you can do as a parent to cultivate authentic resilience in your teen. [24:11]

✨What the college ratings system does and does not reveal about “top” universities in the U.S. [30:02]

Resources:

Connect with Denise Pope:

https://www.facebook.com/ChallengeSuccess https://www.instagram.com/challengesuccess https://www.linkedin.com/company/895857 https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-clark-pope/

Books / articles:

• Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker, Ph.D.

• A “Fit” Over Rankings: Why College Engagement Matters More Than Selectivity

• “P.D.F. Tips” Challenge Success

*(Note: If you do not have kids, or don’t yet feel any kind of low-grade panic about the College Industrial Complex, this might not be the episode for you. On the other hand, this is affecting so many young people, it is an issue that will eventually touch us all.)

This is one of those interviews.

Whatever you’ve got going on in your life, I can almost guarantee this conversation will be a blessing to you.

But I’m getting ahead of myself!

My guest this week is the incomparable Shelley Paxton, making her second appearance on my show.

Shelley is the former CMO of Harley-Davidson and is a 26-year advertising and marketing veteran whose legacy is imprinted on iconic brands like McDonald's, Visa, and Harley-Davidson. At the pinnacle of her career as CMO of Harley-Davidson, Shelley was shocked to find herself feeling success empty instead of successful. And that awakening led her on a profound journey that became her mission, business, and bestselling book, Soulbbatical, A Corporate Rebel's Guide to Finding Your Best Life. Now Chief Soul Officer of her own life, Shelley works with leaders and teams to advocate for redefining success in ways that celebrate humanity, well-being, and soul. 

Just when I think Shelley can’t get any wiser, she blows me away in a new way. 

Gems 💎

• How a life threatening and totally misdiagnosed illness forced her to confront the one thing she was “pretending not to know” about her own life.
• How that single question “What are you pretending not to know?” has the power to transform your life.
• How the “arrival fallacy” robs us of our joy and energy, and how we might replace that fallacy with a far deeper, richer truth.
• Shelley’s nightmare moment on a TEDx stage and how she recovered from it.

Resources

• Read Soulbbatical: A Corporate Rebel's Guide to Finding Your Best Life by Shelley Paxton here!
• Learn more about Shelley Paxton 

Follow Shelley on Instagram @theshelleypaxton and check out her updates on LinkedIn!

The one place we can go to let it allllll spill out. The good, the bad, the ugly.

But there seems to be one topic of conversation that doesn’t always feel welcome.

God.

While the therapist’s office is the ideal spot for excavating the darkest reaches of the mind and the heart, it doesn’t always feel like the best place to explore the divine. The uncanny. The unseen.

In this conversation, I speak with the brilliant Dr. Leslie Carr about this very issue. 

Leslie and I talk about why there seems to be little room for the spiritual/religious in a therapeutic context, and how we might work to expand the conversation both as the therapist and as the patient (or, depending on the setting, “client”) ).

Leslie is a psychologist and an expert in how trauma, stress, culture, and digital technology impact the mind. She's been active in mental health advocacy and public psychoeducation for almost 15 years, and her work in this space has been featured in the LA Times, ABC News, and Ask Dr. Drew, among many other places. She's the host of a podcast, The Nature of Nurture, which explores how people respond to their environments in complicated ways. Learn more about her podcast here, thenatureofnurture.com, or check her out on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheNatureofNurture

I’m hoping this conversation sparks a much broader conversation about how we can collectively cultivate a more active relationship with something bigger than ourselves.

The Gems ✨

How do you differentiate between organized religion and spirituality, in terms of personal experience of the divine? [00:17:45]

How can we protect our energy from draining people or negative influences in a work environment? [00:21:30]

What are some easy ways to begin to explore our spiritual inclinations without feeling weird about it?? [00:26:03]

Resources Mentioned ✨

Learn more about Carl Jung and his theory system.

Check out Letters From Love with Elizabeth Gilbert.

Want to work with me? 

Head over to https://www.bronwyncommunications.com/work-with-me/ to learn more. 

As always, thank you for the gift of your time and attention, and SHINE ON. We need your light.

Those are two letters that stir up a whole lotta conversation.

Ever since ChatGPT was unveiled, I’ve been one of those people who won’t shut up about generative AI. I’m enthralled with it. I’m terrified of it. I’m curious about it, and I enjoy playing with AI. I hate it and I think it could be the fall of mankind. 

If AI and I had a relationship status, it would be, It’s complicated.

Just imagine my joy when I got the opportunity to talk with the marvelous Rimma Boshernitsan, founder of Dialogue, an interdisciplinary strategic advisory group and think tank that helps leaders and companies find the shortest, clearest path to their most ambitious goals. Rimma recently convened a panel at SXSW called “AI Won’t Give You the Chills: The Future Runs on Intuition” that made me curious to talk with her.

We covered a lot of ground; I learned a ton and I think you will too.

The Gems✨

What is the value of human intuition in the face of AI? [7:33]

How might we elevate our thinking when it comes to AI? How might we elevate the way we ponder AI’s role in our communities and in society? [13:01]

What role does self-awareness play in honing intuition and making informed decisions? [20:46]

What practices can we adopt to develop our intuition and enhance our decision-making skills? [24:34]

Resources Mentioned ✨

• Check out Rimma and panelists in conversation: AI Won’t Give You The Chills
• Discover “The Unthinkable,” by Amanda Ripley
• Learn more about Rimma’s Beauty in Ambiguity program

Follow Dialogue on LinkedIn, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter)  and Youtube, or check out their website!

Rimma can be found on Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter)!

It’s been a minute!

I’ve been in deeeeep work mode on client projects, necessitating a petite pause on the podcast over the past several weeks. But I’m back in the saddle, and this week’s episode is a special one, as I am rolling solo.

I recently had a conversation with someone whose words continue to echo in my mind. She said,

“I am sick and tired of not using my voice.”

This is someone who is wise, brilliant, and accomplished. And yet … she put words to a common frustration we just don’t talk about enough.

We talk a lot about “finding” your voice, but we don’t often talk about how to use that voice once you’ve found it. This episode is practical, powerful, and lovingly crafted for anyone who struggles to speak up when the time calls for it.

THE GEMS

How to set yourself up for real change … and move towards lasting transformation [3:08]

How to get clear about what, specifically, triggers you into silence … and why this clarity matters. [7:29]

How to deal with (and outfox) your fear of having alllll those faces staring back at you. [15:18]

How to stop cringing at the sound of your own voice. [22:15]

There’s OH so much more, but those were especially juicy.

This will be the first of a multi-episode series … there’s a LOT to say. ;)

As always, shine on my friend. We need your light!

My friends … you are going to LOVE LOVE LOVE this week’s episode with the legendary wardrobe alchemist, Ms. Lisa Raja.🎙️**

Why would I be talking about clothing on this podcast? 

Because I’m tired of the way caring about clothing and fashion is still dismissed as being “vain” or “superficial.” 

As a communication coach, I help visionary leaders become spellbinding communicators. And, as you may already know, part of that work focuses on language and messaging, but part of that work focuses on  energy, and confidence, and authenticity.

And guess what’s a big part of the confidence game? FEELING GOOD IN OUR OWN SKIN. 

It’s for exactly this reason that I'll often connect a client with a talented stylist. Because how we feel about ourselves is reflected in how comfortable we are in our second skin.

Lisa Raja shares her powerful way of working with her clients—by creating an algorithm for their wardrobes.

We discuss:

• A weekly ritual for setting yourself up with easy, beautiful looks all week long (thereby avoiding the “why do I have NOTHING to wear??” feeling).
• How clothing can be used strategically as a form of confidence building and claiming your power! 
• How to construct a capsule wardrobe out of what you already have, and how to be more mindful in your retail adventures.

But best of all, we get PRACTICAL and TACTICAL about the styles and looks we’re loving right now.

And because I know y’all love clothing links (the stats don’t lie! LOL), here are all of the items we discussed …

• Slip dresses are back, y’all. Here are a few options … pair ‘em with a blazer, a chunky sweater, or even layer them over a turtleneck or t-shirt:
  • L’Agence Serita Dress in Black
  • Quince Washable Stretch Silk Tank Midi Dress
• The basic black trousers that work for work, but are cute enough for anything. Are you feeling more of a cropped vibe? These are great too.
• The Adidas Gazelles that I wear nonstop, all the time. Or if those are too zany, you really can’t go wrong with these in white.
• Gorjana for lovely, on trend jewelry that doesn’t break the bank.
• My favorite go-to brand for “keynote worthy” outfits … Scanlan Theodore
• My newest jean obsession … The Secret Sauce: Memory Lane Jean

To get inspired to revamp your wardrobe, find Lisa at www.lisaraja.com.

Shine on, my friend.

B

**Dedicated to my beloved Lisa Wamboldt, who we lost on February 4th of this year. Lisa “Shortcake” Wamboldt has been a blessing in my life since 1998, and I could never in a million years have imagined that her life would only continue until 2024. Lisa was hilarious, brilliant, kind, and real. Our lives are so much darker without her in them. Lisa, wherever you are, please keep sending your pixie dust to those of us still stuck down here without you. 

In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting her family here.

I recently had the opportunity for an exhilarating sit-down with Julia Landauer, a trailblazing two-time champion race car driver, motivational powerhouse, and force to be reckoned with on NASCAR's strategy and innovation team. (And her podcast, If I’m Honest, is fantastic).

Our girl Julia doesn’t just break barriers; she shatters them. 

In this conversation, you will hear her winning strategies for self-advocacy in the male-dominated realm of racing, along with her top tactics for conquering fear. Julia takes us behind the scenes of professional racing, Survivor survival tales, and her work as a professional public speaker, motivating audiences around the world.

We also talked about …

• The unfiltered reality of Julia's journey as a young female racer, and how she navigated biases and stereotypes in the racing world. (Trust me, the lessons here are pure gold!)
• Raw revelations from her time on Survivor, and how being labeled as "vanilla" shaped her approach to racing and beyond.
• Julia's battle-tested strategies for conquering fear both on and off the racetrack. 

Get ready to be blown away by this conversation.

Looking to inject some adrenaline into your next event? Julia Landauer is your go-to keynote dynamo: Julia's Speaking Page. 

Eager to witness her TEDxStanford Talk? Hit play here: Julia's TEDx Talk

Find her on X, Instagram, and LinkedIn. She's a force you won't want to miss.

Or does it feel like bragging?

On this week’s episode I sit down with the sensational Elisa Camahort Page, co-founder of Optionality, which is a community for experienced and talented professionals who believe the world of work needs to be reimagined in general, and who want to re-define work and the workplace for themselves specifically, in community with others.

We covered a LOT of ground … how women can outmaneuver the systems and stereotypes that block our success, but we also talked about the nature of work—what it is right now, what it could be, and how we might imagine a different future together.

A bit about Elisa … Elisa Camahort Page was the Founding COO of BlogHer, Inc. BlogHer scaled from grassroots movement to national women’s media brand. Since leaving the company that acquired BlogHer, Elisa has served in full-time and fractional CxO roles, advising and consulting for organizations across the Media, Tech, Social Impact, and Learning & Development verticals. 

Her writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Mashable, San Jose Mercury News, and FoxNews.com. She is now the host of The Op-Ed Page with Elisa Camahort Page podcast and the curator behind the This Week-ish newsletter.

Enjoy this high voltage conversation, my friend.

I’ve never been a fan of dropping a big rah rah New Year’s resolution episode at the very start of January.

In my experience, we are basically still trying to recover from the insanity that was December, and we just … need a minute.

But I do believe now is the time to reflect and plan. 

As Gloria Stenham so beautifully said from behind her rad tinted aviator glasses, ““Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all is a form of planning.”

I bring you Bonnie Wan, who JUST dropped what is going to be a GAME changing book called: The Life Brief: A Playbook for No Regrets Living. 

Just a bit of background on Bonnie:

BONNIE WAN is an author and speaker, as well as partner and head of brand strategy at the world-renowned advertising agency, Goodby Silverstein & Partners. 

As creator of The Life Brief, Bonnie helps people live with greater clarity, creativity, and courage by teaching them how to write creative briefs for their lives. The Life Brief has evolved from an SHORT FORM BIOGRAPHY agency talk into a workbook, workshops, and speaking appearances at Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop, Jane Goodall’s Activating Hope Summit, the 3% Conference, SXSW, Accenture, Apple, Google, Change.org, and more.

Take a deep breath, and let this beautiful conversation take you to the higher altitudes where you can see your life clearly, and hold it dearly. Enjoy, my friend.

If you’re a regular reader of my newsletters, you’ll recognize the name of said guest, because I gushed about her memoir about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail - Thru Hiking Will Break Your Heart in a recent Monday morning missive.

As luck would have it, she actually agreed to let me interview her. 

My friends, get ready to meet Carrot Quinn.

Here’s the short version of her bio:

Carrot Quinn is a long-distance hiker and writer. She splits her time between Alaska and the open spaces of the western United States. She is the author of the book Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart: An Adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail and The Sunset Route: Freight Trains, Forgiveness, and Freedom on the Rails of the American West.

But the deeper story? Carrot was raised in Alaska on welfare by a schizophrenic single mother who thought that she was the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary. At fourteen Carrot was adopted by her conservative catholic grandparents, and went to highschool in a small Colorado town near the Utah border. She spent years writing and nomading all over the U.S. before hiking the Pacific Crest Trail - all 2,650 miles of it twice.

Her writing is fresh and immediate, and I enjoyed every second of this conversation.

This fantastic conversation with one of the most influential Venture Capitalists in the Valley, Mr. David Hornik is going to help you become a better storyteller, a better pitcher of ideas, and best of all? It might even help you become a better human being. He’s *that* good.

David is a founding partner at Lobby Capital. For the last 25 years he has worked closely with technology entrepreneurs to help them build transformative businesses. Prior to founding Lobby Capital, David was a partner at August Capital for 20 years. David invests in a broad range of software companies, including enterprise application, infrastructure, and SaaS businesses (e.g, Splunk, Fastly, GitLab), financial technology companies (e.g., Bill.com, WePay, PayNearMe), and consumer services (e.g., Evite, Ebates, TopHatter).

In this conversation we cover:

• The biggest mistakes start-ups make during pitches.
• The biggest difference between men vs. women founders in how they “frame” market opportunities to investors.
• How to use storytelling as an unfair advantage.
• How to inject joy, fun, and authenticity into even the stuffiest of situations. 

Buckle up, my friends. Because a conversation with David is always my favorite journey to take.

Scott is an internationally recognized curiosity expert, speaker, and the author of 'SEEK, How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World.' He is known for translating research into strategies that promote positive well-being and connected relationships around the globe, including at the UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, and through his ground-breaking courses at the University of Texas at Austin. Scott implements his curiosity practices in the public sector, Fortune 500 companies, Hollywood, media organizations, education institutions, and small businesses. 

Don't miss this one!

Order Seek Here!

My guest today is the incomparable Holly Carter, founder of the Executive Director of BYkids and BYkids pairs talented young storytellers with seasoned filmmakers to create powerful documentaries about their lives. BYkids kicks off its fourth season on PBS on November 11, and will be narrated by Ashley Judd.

Holly began her career as a writer and editor at The New York Times, and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Since then, she’s lived in Korea as a Henry Luce scholar and print and television journalist, produced the award-winning documentary, Margaret Sanger, co-founded North Carolina's full frame festival, served as a consultant for the After-School Corporation, produced the PBS series Media Matters, and most recently was the executive director of The Film Initiative. 

Holly and I talk about what it means to let young people tell their own stories, whether it’s a teen refugee from Ukraine, a climate activist, or a 14 year old journalist covering organic farming practices in her community in India.

This conversation gave me so much hope, so much joy. The kids are more than alright. They’re dazzling.

Check out the trailer for BYkids Season Four here.

Alexandria Butler, widely known as Lexi B, is a sought-after figure in the tech industry, renowned for her transformative work and exceptional ability to cultivate executive leadership and promote workplace equity. With an extensive background at prominent Silicon Valley tech Lexi B elevated her mission of empowering professionals to new heights by launching a podcast, You Can Sit With Us. This groundbreaking repository serves as a powerful medium for celebrating and discussing the transferable skills that are essential for building the professional life individuals aspire to have.

Lexi B's reputation as a sought-after speaker and workplace culture commentator has earned her numerous invitations to share her profound insights and wisdom with organizations of all sizes, as well as prestigious publications such as Tenable, Pearson, Diginomica, CBS, and more. 

Bringing her unique blend of entertainment and expertise to the table, Lexi B is poised to revolutionize the way corporate entities approach professional growth and development.

I muttered under my breath, “Oh yeah? Well my house rises up to SLAP me. How ‘bout that?”

At the time, I was a new mother, a newly(ish)wed, and an “organized, beautiful space” wasn’t yet in my self concept.

But a lot has changed since then. 

I’ve become far better at executing a vision of sanity and calm for my home, which has been due in no small part to the work of my guest on today’s show: the Magical Ms. Shira Gill.

Shira Gill is a globally recognized home organizing expert and lifestyle creator with a less-is-more philosophy. Over the past decade, she has helped thousands of people around the world reduce clutter and create more space for what matters. 

Shira’s work centers around the intimate relationship between people’s homes and lives and how they inform and inspire each other. She is the author of Minimalista and her newest book Organized Living, and has been featured in Vogue, Dwell, Better Homes & Gardens, House Beautiful, Architectural Digest, Domino, Forbes, Goop, Harper's Bazaar, HGTV, Today, InStyle, Parents, Real Simple, and The New York Times. 

Shira and I talk about her gorgeous new book, which features the home spaces of some of the world’s top home organizers.  We also talk about practical and REALISTIC ways to bring more sanity, calm, and beauty to our homes. 

Shira is a dream to talk with, and our conversation left me feeling inspired and energized. May it do the same for you, my friend.

Links:

www.shiragill.com 

@shiragill

Newsletter + Community

And get ready for some serious inspiration, my friend.

And as fate (the Universe? Luck? Serendipity?) would have it, the brilliant Cherie Healey was launching a program that seemed tailor-made for my tattered soul … A women’s “circle” experience designed to re-animate my spirit, re-imagine my approach to “productivity,” and re-calibrate my relationships with the people I love most.

Siren Summer has been literally life changing. And I wanted to bring some of her magic and medicine to you, my peeps. And yes, this one is geared toward high performing women, there’s plenty for all of us to learn and enjoy.

Just to give you some background … Cherie is an Executive Coach, Brand Strategist and Founder of SIREN, an Imagination Studio. She helps leaders and teams cause higher impact through big vision, clear purpose and meaningful messaging. Her calling is to help you answer yours.

Cherie helped Leaders at YouTube launch a movement for Mental Health and Wellbeing, she has been working with women at Google for over 10 years, advising corporate leaders for 25 and she is a Women In Management Facilitator at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Through Activation Days, Workshops, Speaking and Custom Designed Leadership Programs, she guides impact at orgs like Google, X, Genentech, Nike, YouTube, Apple, GoDaddy, Fox Entertainment, I Heart Media, Paramount and more.

I can’t wait for you to hear this one. 

Ben is a regular on this show because every single time we talk, he casually drops a few statements that not at all casually blow our minds.

Today Ben and I are talking about leadership. Specifically, brave and resilient leadership.

The past several years have been challenging for everyone, and leaders are no exception. So many of my clients right now are struggling to keep their teams motivated, connected, and joyful … burnout is hiding around every corner it seems.

This conversation is my effort to shed light on strategies that help leaders lead during this time of energetic and almost spiritual dryness. 

The kind of dryness that comes from too many crises … or the “perma crisis” we seem to find ourselves in.

Ben’s words are like an oasis in what can sometimes feel like a work life desert.

You can find Ben on Instagram and Linkedin @benkiker, and on his website thebenkikergroup.com

Maybe it’s because every image I’ve ever seen depicts MAN moving from knuckle-dragging primate to upright-standing, prefrontal cortex-wielding Super Species.

But what is the story of women’s bodies?

Deena Emera, PhD, is an evolutionary geneticist, author, and teacher. She earned a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley, a master’s degree from NYU, and a PhD from Yale. She currently serves as a senior scientist at the Buck Institute’s Center for Reproductive Longevity and Equality. She’s with us this week to talk about her new book, A Brief History of the Female Body: An Evolutionary Look at How and Why the Female Form Came to Be. 

Deena draws on her expertise as a biologist and experience as a mother of four to explore the mysteries of the female body through an evolutionary lens. 

We covered a LOT of territory, including pressing questions like …

• Did our bodies evolve to give us choice in our reproductive systems? (THIS BLEW MY MIND)
• What’s the evolution of the female orgasm? Why is it so different from men’s?
• Why are women more prone to auto-immune diseases?
• Is the “martyr mother” archetype something that evolved because of our biology, or is it the culture at play?

I could not get enough of this conversation … my jaw was on the floor for most of it, so just prepare yourself. ;)

Find Deena on Instagram, Twitter (X?!), or LinkedIn @deenaemera .

Shine on, my friends.

For the longest time, I was able to have a nice glass of wine or cocktail to mark the end of the day … I would sip it and make dinner, and then go to sleep. No big deal.

Now? It’s like my body has decided to go on strike. If I drink alcohol, I get terrible sleep, I instantly gain weight, and even just a single drink can make me feel like the bottom of the bird cage the next day.

But here’s the thing: I don’t have positive associations with marijuana. I just don’t.  

And then, as fate would have it, I met today’s guest, June Johnson who is a WEED DOULA. Yes, you heard that right. June is here to teach us the *right* way to think about and navigate the world of CBD.

June Johnson is an entrepreneur, model, and advocate. She is the founder of The Weed Doula, a self-care concierge that curates cannabis routines for her clients to seamlessly integrate cannabis into their lives for better living. She is also the Co-Founder of Collective High, a woman-owned company that creates unforgettable experiences with cannabis education, consumption, & culture at the forefront for the canna-confident & canna-connoisseur. Her mission is to make cannabis an exciting, accessible, & culture-forward experience for all and her goal is to create impactful changes & cultural representation within the fashion & cannabis spaces. 

Prior to producing cannabis events, June created successful events for brands such as Paul Smith, Hennessy, Moët & Chandon, Deleón Tequila, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Fred Segal, adidas, Shiekh Shoes, etc. Though she has experience in numerous verticals, she specializes in producing events in the fashion, cannabis, entertainment, art & culture scenes. She has produced parties for exclusive clients during NYFW, NBA All-Star, Outside Lands, & The Grammy's.

But even with a bio as cool and compelling as that, what it doesn’t capture is June’s spirit. She is an angel on earth, and a blessing to everyone who knows her. I consider myself so lucky to have crossed her path, and I want to share her with you too.

If you’d like to connect with June directly, which I highly recommend, book her at calendly.com/junejohnson; follow her on Instagram at @theweeddoula.com, and find her on her website theweeddoula.com.

And I get it. Survival = financial safety.

But that didn’t sit well with me. I wanted wealth. But that wasn’t something the women in my lineage could teach me. In fact, FEW women are taught how to create and GROW wealth.

But that’s what we’re talking about today.

My guest this week is Clara Vidyanath, founder of the 32 Cents Club, which is a private markets investment platform, designed BY women, FOR women. 

“32 Cents” represents the wealth gap between men and women. And just to clarify, when it comes to wealth, WOMEN make 32 cents to every man’s dollar. Let that sink in, and fire up this episode. You are NOT gonna wanna miss it. 

Check out https://www.32cents.com/

Find Clara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clara-vydyanath-cfa-cpa-14287316/

Like maybe you’re over-talking, but you just don’t know how to stop?

Well, my friend, you are NOT alone. This is something MOST of us struggle with at one time or another.

Today, you are going to meet Sarah. She is a powerhouse coach, but she has that nagging suspicion that her inability to REIN IT IN may be costing her credibility when she’s giving a talk.

In it, you will find practical and repeatable strategies for staying on message, on purpose and on FIRE from start to finish the next time you get up to present.

Well if you have, you need a shot of Jen freaking Marples in your life. And that is what I’m about to serve up. Because Jen Marples has one thing to tell you: YOU ARE NOT TO FUCKING OLD.

Jen Marples is a champion of the midlife woman and a cheerleader for ALL women. She’s an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, podcaster, coach, and leader in the midlife women’s empowerment movement. She puts midlife women first and preaches: You’re Not Too F***ing Old! to do whatever the F you want! Jen hosts The Jen Marples Show podcast, recently featured in Marin Magazine, Tiburon Belvedere Magazine, and Malibu Magazine. The show is dedicated to helping and inspiring midlife women embrace and rock the second and best half of life.

Find Jen Here:

WEBSITE

LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM

INSTAGRAM JEN MARPLES SHOW

TWITTER

FB GROUP

TIKTOK

LISTEN TO THE JEN MARPLES SHOW HERE:

APPLE

SPOTIFY

What if relief was just one question away?

My guest today is the fantastic and delightful Marc Champagne. Marc is a mental fitness strategist, host of the Behind the Human podcastan, and best selling author of Personal Socrates: Questions That Will Upgrade Your Life from Legends & World-Class Performers.

Marc is a connoisseur of questions that will change you. He has gathered juicy questions and prompts from legends as wide ranging as Pablo Picasso, Robin Williams and Jane Austen.

This conversation felt like a blood transfusion for me, and I hope it does the same for you my friend.

Do yourself a huge favor and pick up his magical book Personal Socrates here.

Find Marc on behindthehuman.com, and on LinkedIn, and give his podcast a listen here.

Grace is struggling with something a LOT of us can relate to: How do you become your most powerful Self when you are recovering from a long season of stress, crisis, and debilitating fear.

How do you bring calm, creativity and clarity of thinking when you have been in survival mode for so long, you feel like you're constantly being shot out of a cannon?

In other words, how do you function in peace time when your body has been geared for war?

This conversation takes us deep into the art of healing from the trauma's of the human experience, and how that healing can transform the way we communicate. You will also marvel at the generosity, honesty, and beauty in Grace's story and her experience.

Can't wait to hear what you think! 

Those who secretly wonder if there’s a book inside them waiting to be written, and those who would never in a million years wonder such a thing.

This episode is 100% dedicated to people in the former category. 

My guest today is Linda Sivertsen, aka “book mama,” though she could just as easily be called “book doula,” such is her gift. LINDA is an author, ghostwriter, and coauthor of eleven books (including two NYT bestsellers), is the host of the top-rated Beautiful Writers Podcast and mentor to thousands of writers online and in-person. She pushed through all manner of rejection to realize her dream to write bestselling books AND help save trees and fragile ecosystems. Linda and her work have been featured widely in the media, including Forbes.com, The New York Times, Inc., Extra, TeenVogue, CNN, HuffPost, Glamour, Los Angeles Times, CARMEL magazine, and on the TEDWomen stage. She loves micro-blogging about all things writing (and dogs and horses!) on social media and blogs regularly at BookMama.com from her ranch office in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Today, she is here to talk to us about her beautiful new book, Beautiful Writers: A Journey of Big Dreams & Messy Manuscripts - with Tricks of the Trade from Best Selling Authors.

This book is a MUST HAVE for anyone who loves books about writing, but especially for those craving insight into the craft from brilliant writers like Cheryl Strayed, Terry McMillan, Tom Hanks, Steven Pressfield, Elizabeth Gilbert, and the list just goes on and on. It’s shocking how many beautiful writers are featured in this book, alongside Linda’s very own writing journey.

If you’ve ever wondered about your capacity to write a book—fiction or non fiction—pour yourself a mug of something cozy, and let’s dive in.

Linda on Instagram: @linda_sivertsen

Beautiful Writers Podcast

When someone is captivating, the audience is 100% on their side, and 100% engrossed with whatever it is they are saying. 

Today, you are going to meet "Jess." Jess is on a quest to become more captivating in the courtroom. Jess is a criminal defense lawyer, and her ability to win over a jury can mean the difference between incarceration and freedom.

But here’s the thing—she is a seasoned professional. She’s already good at what she does. But she wants to become truly great.

I loved this conversation because 1) I LOVE it when someone as accomplished as Jess seeks ways to level up, and 2) the dynamics of public speaking and influence in a court room setting are fascinating as you will soon hear. The stakes are high, the content that has to be conveyed is nuanced and complicated, and the audience? Well the audience can range from sophisticated and informed to unsophisticated and deeply uninformed. How on earth do you move an audience that diverse? 

Whether you are interested in courtroom drama or not, you may be able to relate to Jess’ struggle to balance nuance and complexity with the need to communicate with simplicity and emotion. I guarantee you’ll take something useful away from this conversation, that’s how rich it was.

Shine on, my friend.

Human beings who radiate from an inner light do so because of what they’ve overcome, and the meaning they’ve made of their life experiences thus far.

My guest today is truly a luminous being.

My friends, please meet Martha Niño. Martha is a 25-year Silicon Valley technology professional who has worked at large corporations ranging from mobile, to hardware, to software. She recently celebrated over 15 years as a Senior Marketing Manager at tech giant Adobe (the Photoshop company). 

Martha is a woman in an industry where women are still only a quarter of the workforce, and a Latina in tech—where the LatinX community represent only 3 percent of the workforce. 

She isn’t your average tech worker with the typical middle class (and white, male) backstory. Her life began on a dirt floor in another country. Martha’s story reminds me that when we believe in ourselves and we align with others who believe in us, anything is possible.

Martha has just launched her new book The Other Side: From a Shack to Silicon Valley, which can be ordered here.  Martha is also very active on LinkedIn and can be reached at connectwithmartha@gmail.com.

Shine on, my friends.

Season 5 of 20 Minutes with Bronwyn is now LIVE and this season I decided to experiment with format. 

Instead of recording myself solo speaking into the ether, I have found some truly incredible human beings willing to be coached and RECORDED (albeit anonymously), as they work to become their most powerful selves, speaking from that place of power.

In this week’s episode, you will meet “Claire.” 🧚 🧚 

Claire’s goal was clear. She wanted to go …

from being nervous, tongue-tied, and passive when running meetings, 

to being confident, articulate, and authentic when running meetings.

The trick to becoming our most powerful is to ensure that our higher Self is the one who shows up to run the meeting, and not our nervous, frightened self.

And THAT is what this season’s first episode is all about—how to call forth that authentic, higher Self—not only when we’re feeling “safe,” but anytime, every time.

Can’t wait to hear what you think. As Joel Peterson says, “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” So please please pleeeeaaze, let me know what your thoughts are.

Shine on my friend, B

This episode is also dedicated to the parents of those grads who may be wringing their hands, also wondering, What the hell is this kid gonna do next??

Today, our guide for this conversation is the amazing, delightful, divine Ms. Andrea Koppel.

Andrea is an award winning former CNN journalist, who has dedicated her life to helping college students find careers they love. 

And she knows a thing or two about the process of finding the right career fit. 

After leaving CNN, Andrea went on her own journey of career discernment and discovery. Andrea became Senior Vice President of Communications at M & R Strategic Services – a cause-oriented Public Affairs firm; she served as Director of International Communications for the American Red Cross, and went on to become Vice President of Global Engagement & Policy for Mercy Corp, a global humanitarian and development organization.

All of these roles prepared Andrea for her dream gig: coaching college students as they discern the right career path.

How does she do that? 

1. Through her podcast Time4Coffee (T4C)— a virtual library of carefully curated career conversations with hundreds of professionals – in dozens of different careers. (The interviews are on point … being an award winning journalist sure doesn’t hurt!)
2. Through her College to Career Clarity online course which is an asynchronous, digital course that helps confused, anxious and overwhelmed students to identify at least 3 job functions and/or industries they'd be psyched to explore when they graduate. 

If you or someone you love is struggling in this time of transition, you are gonna LOVE this conversation with Andrea. She’s most active on LinkedIn, and would love to connect.

I am taking the summer off from podcasting, but will still be going strong on YouTube, in speaking engagements, and in my Monday missives. Not yet subscribed? Head over to bronwyncommunications.com/subscribe !

It’s hard to believe that my podcast is turning 4 this year. To say I’m proud is an understatement. To say I have it all figured out is an overstatement.

Having said that, I’ve learned a thing or two, and last summer I did a live webinar to offer what knowledge I possess about making (and maintaining!) a podcast. Over 100 people joined, and I loved every minute of it.

I am often asked for advice for those hoping to start a podcast (or those wanting to turbo charge an existing show!), and this episode is my attempt to offer that advice in the most honest, entertaining way possible.

My hope is that it gives you the encouragement you need to get started, or the shot in the arm you need to keep going.

And if you’re not a podcaster and never want to be, you still might dig the behind-the-scenes truth of what it really takes to hit “record” and hurl an audio message in a bottle into the vast ocean of ears out there.

Lastly, this will be the penultimate episode in Season Four of Twenty Minutes with Bronwyn. In 2 weeks, I’ll be dropping the final episode of the season and you are gonna love it. Especially if you have a recent college graduate who’s feeling a bit … lost.

I’ll take the summer to recharge and come at you with fresh goodness in the Fall! Shoutouts to Paul and the good people at Peachtree Recordings who make this show possible.

Shine on, and give it a listen here!

B

This someone is not only a groundbreaking researcher and scientist, he is also my dear friend, Dr. Alexander Marson. 

Alex is the Director of Gladstone-UCSF Institute of Genomic Immunology, a senior investigator at Gladstone Institute, and an Associate Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology at UCSF. 

Alex is interested in how DNA controls the behavior of cells in the human immune system. He and his team are using the power of CRISPR technology to genetically engineer cells to fight cancer, autoimmune diseases, and infectious diseases.

My intention for recording this particular conversation was to get Alex’s take on communicating complex messages in a more accessible way. It’s something the scientific community is really wrestling with these days, perhaps now more than ever: 

How do you communicate complicated and immense topics in a way that is repeatable and interesting? How do we approach critical information, currently understood by only a few, to make it accessible to the rest of us?

This is also a conversation about the alchemy that happens when the right people make contact at the right moment, and something new is born. 

Pour that beverage, or lace up your sneakers and leash up that hound. Because you are gonna love this one.

My intention from the beginning was to talk with an expert about the language around reproductive freedom.

Because here’s what I know for sure: 

Women cannot compete economically and/or provide for our families if we lose our right to determine when (or whether) to have children.

I don’t know any other way to say it. 

And yet somehow, despite the simple truth of this statement, we’re at the precipice of losing that right. It makes me wonder if we’ve been talking about this all wrong.

So … to help take us deeper into the language and messaging of reproductive freedom (and how we might protect it), my guest this week is Dina Montemarano, Research Director at NARAL Pro-Choice America, where she leads messaging, opposition, and disinformation-focused research on abortion access and the anti-choice movement. 

Prior to NARAL, Dina worked on Senator Warren's and Vice President Harris' Presidential campaigns, and at Global Health Strategies, where she managed global health communication programs for the Gates Foundation. She has a BA from the University of Notre Dame and a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Dina is a wonder woman, and was incredibly kind and patient with me while I had a good cry during this conversation.

To find out how you can donate to pro-choice candidates in the midterms, here is a list of political candidates working to protect reproductive freedom in the US.

One small note … for reasons beyond my ken, you have to have already donated to NARAL to be able to use this system. Just donate as little as $1 to NARAL and then you’ll be able to use this link effectively and efficiently to support multiple candidates doing this incredibly important work.

As always, the most powerful thing you can do is VOTE. Do NOT sit out midterms. Vote for candidates that prioritize women’s health. We are not a special niche interest group. We make up half of the population.

Stay strong. Shine on.

https://bit.ly/NARAL_LINK

You are about to meet the LUMINOUS Elizabeth Jameson. Who is this luminous being, you ask? Well, lemme tell ya …

Elizabeth Jameson is an artist and writer who explores what it means to live in an imperfect body as part of the universal human experience.  

Before her diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, she served as a public interest lawyer representing incarcerated children; she later represented children living with chronic illnesses and disabilities in their attempts to receive medically necessary care.

As her disease progressed, she began using her MRI’s to create art as a way of reclaiming agency of her own medical data. She transformed the unsettling, clinical images into work that invites people to open up conversations about what it means to have an illness or disability. Her work is part of permanent collections both nationally and internationally, including the National Institutes of Health, major universities, and medical schools.

Elizabeth’s essays have been published in The New York Times, British Medical Journal, WIRED magazine, and MIT’s Leonardo Journal. Her essay, “Losing Touch, Finding Intimacy,” was included in the New York Times book,  About Us, released in September 2019 by Norton Publishing. Her latest project is called “MS Confidential,” a webcast series of candid conversations on navigating the chaos of MS.  

Many of her lectures at medical schools and symposiums have been recorded and shared, including her TedXStanford talk, “Learning to Celebrate and Embrace Our Imperfect Bodies.”

In fact, Elizabeth and I met during preparation for that TEDxStanford talk, and we have stayed in touch ever since. I love that  YOU now get to meet her, because nothing gives me more joy than introducing luminous humans to you, my friend.

So sit back, grab your beverage of choice, or put a leash on that hound of yours, and join me in this conversation with Elizabeth Jamison.

For more on Elizabeth, find her online here:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ejamesonfineart/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_elizabethjameson_/
• Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Jamesonfineart
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamesonfineart
• YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnJaKluXC7dBpCsw8VUun2w
• Website: https://www.jamesonfineart.com/

You start asking yourself questions like:

“Wait, did she/he just say something mean, or am I imagining this?”

I call these moments psychic attacks not because I mean “psychic” in the woo-woo, crystal ball sense, but because these are attacks on our psyches. 

Psychologists call them “passive aggressive” or “covert aggressive” comments. But call them what you want … they turn our inner world upside down temporarily.

In this week’s episode we are shining the light of attention and awareness on psychic attacks. Why?

Because they ROB us of our confidence, and my friend, we shall not stand for it. 

We are going to illuminate these moments and become more familiar with the terrain, so in the future, you will be able to respond with integrity and a clear mind, instead of allowing the attacker to gaslight you into being silent, or bait you into a counter-productive counter attack.

Tune in, and get ready for practical strategies and techniques for showing up strong, even when you’re under attack.

I got to interview someone very special, and “special” not just because of who she is and how much she has accomplished in her life, but “special” because she and I are both named … BRONWYN.

People, I am beside myself with joy to be able to introduce to you the marvelous Bronwyn Morgan.

Bronwyn is the founder and CEO of the tech startup Xeo Air, which is an AI based, drones-on-demand platform for mission management, connecting b2b clients in insurance, telecom, and catastrophic response and beyond, with a crew of Part 107 drone pilots.

She is also founder of Airversity Drone Academy + Consulting, a training school for both Part 107 prep and drone flight along with private and public safety consulting. 

Bronwyn is the Founder of Black Women In STEAM, an organization dedicated to galvanizing the efforts of Black women in STEAM fields.

She has over 20 years of senior level management experience in sales, strategic planning, national product and customer marketing, innovation, large team management, emerging tech ventures, corporate innovation, IP commercialization, and business development with global companies with projects in Asia, Europe, and South America. Bronwyn has worked for companies such as P&G and Coca-Cola, with major labels and studios in the entertainment industry, and Silicon Valley based tech companies. 

Bronwyn is a force of nature, and I wanted to talk with her about her backstory. I am so glad I did. Never in a million years could I have anticipated where our conversation took us … because as you will see, we end up in a very … spiritual place. Apparently, being into spirituality and meditation is very on brand for us Bronwyns.

So, whether you curl up & get comfy, or leash up that dog and hit the trail,  do come listen in on my conversation with Bronwyn Morgan.

Find Bronwyn Morgan on …

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bronwynmorgan/ Instagram: @xeoair Twitter: @airxeo

Shine on, my friend.

B

And lately, I have been asked a LOT about my parenting philosophy. Which honestly, I think is RICH because I really don’t know what the hell I’m doing. 

BUT, I do have 15 years+ of experience of being a parent, and I have worked EXTREMELY hard at being the best version of myself as a mother, without being weird about it. 

So this episode is my attempt to offer parents of all stripes (this isn’t just a mothering conversation) three things: 

1. The core beliefs that have been essential to me as a parent
2.  The systems and habits that have paid massive dividends to our little fam, and lastly …
3.  The #fails. The What I Wish I’d Knowns. The things I’d love to impart to the young parents coming up—or the ones who still have time to course-correct before their chickens fly the coop.

Give it a listen, and below are the books/resources I mention during the show:

• Blessings of a Skinned Knee: Raising Resilient Children by Wendy Mogel
• Love & Logic Positive parenting workshops, books, resources
• Playful Parenting by Lawrence J. Cohen

As always, I thank you for your ears and hearts. Can’t wait to hear what you think about this one. It’s a deeply personal episode for me.

But the past two Januaries have been less open-hearted for many of us. Less optimistic. 

Maybe like me, you spent the holidays with Omicron.  Or maybe you avoided Covid, but are still carrying the weight of all the uncertainty and burn-out of the past 2 years.

Either way, my friend, this episode is calling out to you from a place of possibility. Of hope. This episode is like a phone call straight to your soul.… 

So listen in, because you’re about to meet the marvelous Scott Shute. Scott is the former Head of Mindfulness and Compassion Programs and VP of Global Customer Operations at Linkedin. Scott has since left that position to focus FULL TIME on his consulting practice, helping companies of all shapes and sizes to become more conscious and compassionate through his speaking engagements, workshops, and executive coaching. Scott helps people build their own self-awareness through meditations and retreats, and his recent book—The Full Body Yes: Change Your Work and the World from the Inside Out.

After getting through 2 years of what feels like a constant state of NO, the idea of a full body YES is just delicious to me, and I can’t wait for you to meet Scott and hear more about this concept … this practice. 

You can find Scott on scottshute.com and linkedin.com/in/scottshute.

Can’t wait to hear what you think of our conversation! Shine on, B

Those who struggle with tricky family dynamics during the Holidays.

For many people, the holidays conjure feelings of closeness and long standing traditions that bring joy.

But for a whole lot of people, the holidays carry the energy signatures of dread. Anxiety. Avoidance. 

Not every family can be the Huxtables. (I mean jeeze, not even the Huxtables were the Huxtables as it turns out.)

This episodeLINK is 100% focused on strategies for navigating difficult people, conversations, emotions … you name it. 

It’s like a box of chocolates, but you DO know what you’re gonna get: a bevy of tested and true techniques for staying sane, loving, and grounded. Even when old Uncle Whatsisname has too much to drink and says something crazy. Even when someone has the gall to ask you why you haven’t had more kids (or why you had so many). Even when politics comes up. 

It’s all in here, and it’s all good. Give it a listen here.

Shine on, my friend.

That’s definitely been my experience. But recently, I attended a fundraiser for an organization called the Service First Women’s Victory Fund. They are on “campaign to elevate the collective voice of elected women leaders who have dedicated their lives to serving our country and who know what it means to put service and country over partisan politics. Together, we are building a new normal where service leaders and women lead the way in Congress.”

​​https://www.servicefirstwomensvictoryfund.com/

Friends, they renewed my faith. And today, I have two incredible congresswomen who represent the fund to talk to us. You are about to meet Representative Chrissy Houlahan, who serves Pennsylvania’s 6th district and Representative Abigail Spanberger, who serves Virginia’s 7th district.

Get ready for a dose of inspiration, and a VERY renewed sense of urgency to get involved in our very fragile democracy.

So imagine my delight when lead singer A/J Jackson’s team reached out to see if I’d be open to having him on my show to talk about his new project.

You will be able to hear my barely concealed fan-girling in this episode, but I did manage to ask him several questions I had to know the answer to.

A/J and his band Saint Motel have performed on some pretty big stages. Think Coachella, Bottle Rocket, Madison Square Garden (opening for Panic! at the Disco), and about a badrillion other venues. 

I wanted to ask him what it’s like to perform at that level.

As a singer myself (wink wink), I wanted to know about his vocal warm-up routine (it’s hilarious) and any weird pre-game rituals (rhythmic slapping anyone?).

And I REALLY wanted to understand the thinking behind his recent move beyond music to create something altogether new … by founding an eye wear company!  AVIEW is A/J’s new project,  an eye wear brand that taps into the psychology of color therapy. 

I’m fascinated by people who resisted the temptation to just sit around and binge-watch all that streaming had to offer during the pandemic-2020, they actually made something. 

The conversation did NOT disappoint, and I can’t wait for you to meet A/J. Check it out ... links to resources below!

AVIEW: https://www.aview.com/

My Type: https://spoti.fi/3cg80bJ

In Arabic, they say, “taswif an”

In Spanish, it’s aplazar. 

In other words, procrastination transcends culture, race, gender, and even transcends time. Seneca was talking about procrastination during the ROMAN Imperial Period, and famously said: 

“The fool, with all his other faults, has this also, he is always getting ready to live.”

The tendency to procrastinate seems to be baked into our behavioral DNA as homo sapiens. Which seems like some kind of cosmic joke, given how SHORT our lives truly are. 

This episode is dedicated to sharing the ONE technique that has changed the procrastination game for me. I’ve never shared it publicly before because it is so laughably simple, but what the heck, I might as well come clean! 

This episode is packed with practical strategies for getting around your very human case of procrastination, and I mention a few resources, which I’ve listed here for your viewing/reading/listening pleasure:

• https://mailchi.mp/bronwyncommunications/procrastination 
  • My Focus + Shine Worksheet
• Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence by Dr. Anna Lembke
• Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport
• “To Stop Procrastinating Start by Understanding the Emotions Involved”, by Shirley S. Wang, Wall Street Journal, 2015
• Gwyneth Paltrow x Brené Brown on the Roots of Shame and Vulnerability, Goop Podcast

I grew up in Orange County, California, where eating disorders were a rite of passage. And I don’t say that flippantly—almost everyone I knew growing up had a disordered relationship to eating, myself included.

I remember pulling into the student parking lot at my high school and seeing some kid’s Volkswagen decorated with a bumper sticker that read, “No Fat Chicks, my Bug will Scrape.” I remember feeling a sense of alarm … like, I had just been schooled on one of the fundamental rules of adolescence in my community: DO NOT be fat. Whatever else you may do.

I know this tortured dynamic isn’t unique to me. Most women I know have a difficult relationship with food. 

It’s VERY confusing to have a tortured relationship to something you literally cannot  live without.Food is a fact of our humanity. But for so many of us, it is a fact shrouded in myth and morality and twisted by culture. 

It’s a mess.

My guest today is someone who I think has the potential to break through the misinformation (and frankly, the misogyny) associated with food. Her name is Vanessa Rissetto, and I fell madly in love with her during this conversation. I know you will too.

Vanessa is a registered dietician who Essence named “one of the top 5 black nutritionists that will make you change the way you think about nutrition”.

At one point, a woman in the session asked me a question … as a mother, how do you get over the feeling of guilt that comes with taking all that time for yourself?

I nearly tore my skin off when she asked this. 

Why? For about a million different reasons …

Because I too have felt this gut-twisting guilt.

Because I know that women feel it far more often and more acutely than men feel it.

Because I know that question is tied to a much deeper truth about working mothers that we struggle to articulate.

That guilt that we feel anytime we take time for ourselves is tied to something poisonous in our culture.

This episode is my attempt to shine a light on my journey as a working mother, and how I’ve developed a working rapport with that guilt. 

This episode is my attempt to reclaim and redefine what it means to be a “good mother”. 

But most of all, this episode is my love letter to every single working mother out there.

Ravenmothers*: We ride at dawn.

Some of the ways we adapted during the pandemic have been incredibly useful. We took a long, hard look at what we say yes to. What we say no to. If we weren’t already great at washing our hands, we sure as hell are now.

But there is one adaptation that makes me nervous. 

That my friends … is our increased consumption of alcohol. 

And when I say “our” I really mean MY relationship to alcohol, and perhaps you can relate. It went from a weekend funtime activity to a daily unwind ritual. That’s a major jump in consumption.

Apparently, I’m not alone in this. This specific adaptation—leaning on alcohol to get through the past year and a half—has disproportionately affected women.

According to a RAND Corporation survey on alcohol consumption,  during the Covid-19 pandemic, women have upped their “heavy drinking days” (that’s defined by 4 or more glasses a day) by 41% compared to pre-pandemic. 

Here’s the thing : Not all of us are “alcoholics,” but a LOT of us are drinking alcoholically. 

I’m worried about us. And I wanted to talk to someone about their journey dealing with alcohol and addiction, and what a life of sobriety could look like.

And I could think of no better guide, no better teacher than my dear friend Maryann Minck. Maryann Minck is a treasure. She’s on Instagram (if you don’t already follow her, you really should), and she is a private chef to some VERY fancy people in Laguna Beach california. Think big wigs. Think celebs. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know Maryann because during the pandemic 1.0, she and I did an IG live most Sundays called Cooking with Coco. (She and I have known each other since we were 6 years old, and have called each other Coco for decades, hence the name of the IG lives.)

Here are quick links to the resources she mentioned during the conversation:

The Promises Poem

The AA “Big Book”

How to find a chapter near you.

So sit back, pour yourself a “decompression Perrier” as Maryann says, and enjoy my dear friend Maryann Minck.

Shine on … we need your light.

B

Why? Because as communication patterns go, few are as unnerving and damaging to our relationships as martyrdom, AND as communication patterns go, few are as EFFECTIVE in a twisted sense as playing the role of martyr.

As they say, we repeat behaviors because on some level, they WORK. Which is why it is so difficult to STOP.

So why is martyrdom so powerful? And what can we do about it when it surfaces inside of ourselves, or in others? That's what we're talking about this week. 

It’s the cornerstone of my work in the world. As a communication coach, I’m NEVER interested in “polishing” someone as a communicator. I’m interested in revealing someone in their truest most beautiful form.

And I’ve been doing this for a LONG time. The good thing about being devoted to a practice, to a craft, is that you feel quite confident, and quite sure of yourself. The bad thing about being devoted to a craft is that sometimes you think "What could this person possibly teach me? I do this for a living."

But that’s exactly what my guest today did, she taught me to see a blind spot in my own pursuit of authenticity.

My friends, I’d like to you meet Jessica Zweig, most of the SimplyBe podcast, author of Be. - A No Bullsh*t Guide to Increasing Your Self Worth and Net Worth By Simply Being Yourself

She is an award-winning entrepreneur, personal branding expert, the founder and CEO of SimplyBe. Agency where she works with entrepreneurs, creatives CEOs and the companies they lead to help them grow on and offline by leveraging the most powerful marketing tool on the planet: authenticity.

Why? Because my journaling practice is the “room of one’s own” that Virginia Wolf talked about … a place out beyond the voices of my family of origin, friends, children, husband, clients, partners, neighbors, and anyone else I come into contact with. It is the engine of my productivity, creativity, and frankly spirituality and I'm here to tell you how to get this engine fired up in your own life.

Whether 2014 marked the “tipping point” for popular culture’s reckoning with the transgender community is debatable … because here we are 7 years later, still trying to tip. Still trying to understand.

In 2014, I would say that the experience of knowing someone trans was still fairly unusual. But in 2021? It seems like all of us are 1 degree separated from someone going through the experience of reconciling identity and gender.

My guest today is the incredible Sean Garcia, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, working in private practice in San Jose. Sean is passionate about serving the needs of transgender/gender variant persons and their families as well as the neurodiverse population. He is currently the only transgender-identified licensed therapist in Silicon Valley who facilitates a monthly transgender group for adolescents and teens. Sean's story, insights and wisdom *changed* the way I see the world. My hope is that he will do the same for you.

In this episode I offer solutions to the three biggest communication problems I've encountered post vaccination, and I offer three solutions to make it all a bit less tortured, and more nourishing.

If you are an entrepreneur running a startup, or trying to raise money in the venture capital community ... If you are a solo-preneur or coach building your business ... If you are someone trying to create momentum and generate more revenue in your business, this is the episode for you. My guest today has some words of wisdom that could just change the trajectory of your business.

Ana is the founder of Plex65, which is a labor market for caregivers of older adults. It is the first of its kind to use technology as a hiring platform for caregivers using “Rydeshare for Homecare” or the Uber for caregiving concept.

But we are here today to talk about Ana NOT as an entrepreneur (though she is).

We are here to talk about Ana as an activist. As the mother of two black sons. As someone working to change the way we talk about race, and more specifically, how we teach our children history in school.

As a word of caution: Ana is about to share her heartbreak with us. She lost her son, Maasai Jones, to suicide on June 14, 2018 … something that would leave most of us catatonic and incapacitated. But Ana’s story is hardly one of withdrawal.

Her story is about transmuting pain into power. About carrying on Maasai’s story, because it has the power to create change. And friends? If there’s anything we learned in 2020 it was this: things need to change.

I first met Ana during a virtual Village Well session (google it “Village Well San Jose” … very powerful Saturday morning medicine!), I knew I had to have her on to talk with you.

Friends, meet the marvelous Ana Jones.

But the better I get at saying NO, the better my life gets.

With a high quality NO, comes the opportunity to say YES to the invitations and adventures that add up to the life I want vs. the life that just kinda happened to me.

And in case you can relate, and in case you’re curious to see how your life might improve with the development and cultivation of your Highest Quality “No,” I want to offer you three strategies to strengthen your No-saying game.

The single most important skill to have as a communicator is storytelling.

Here’s the thing: Facts are important. The ability to make a cogent argument is important.

But STORY is what changes people. STORY is probably the ONLY thing that can get someone to see the world through a different lens.

And this is as true in business as it is in politics, academia, and science. We are hardwired to remember, repeat, and be moved by a story well told.

My guest today is a champion storyteller, and his name is Corey Rosen. He has a new book coming out that will be a powerful guide for us as communicators: Your Story Well Told: Creative Strategies to Develop and Perform Stories that Wow an Audience. Join us, and learn how you can become a better storyteller.

But there’s something missing there. Acceptance is not enough.

Authentic personal power must include the capacity to articulate what we need and what we want.

And yet, too many of us avoid doing the work of owning and articulating what it is we need because we are AFRAID of what we will discover ...

About ourselves, about our partners, our families, or our workplaces.

But, Amen, I say unto you: If you want to become your most powerful self and SPEAK from your place of power, this is the work.

This is a path I have been walking all my life. If it’s a path you’d like to walk, or a journey you’d like to better understand, this week’s episode is for you.

Everyone you meet has a backstory. Everyone has a history full of highs and lows, celebration and tragedy. And it’s so easy to forget this when we’re in our 500th meeting of the day. That each face (or name if cameras are off) has a story. In our minds, we think in terms of title. Or position in the power hierarchy.

Well, my friend, you are about to meet someone with a backstory that will take your breath away. You’re about to meet Tina Tran.

Upon first meeting Tina, you would immediately know you were in the presence of a badass. Tina is a director of business development, leading mobile platform and OEM partnerships for a small company you may have heard of called Microsoft.

Tina serves on the board of directors at Hello Neighbor, an organization that strengthens communities by matching resettled refugee families with dedicated neighbors to help them thrive in their new lives in the U.S. She is also an advisor for Nomi Network, a non-profit that fights modern day slavery and human trafficking through economic empowerment programs.

In 2018, Tina graduated from the prestigious Presidential Leadership Scholars Program, a partnership between the George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Lyndon Johnson, and George Bush presidential centers. She is one of 59 national up- and-coming leaders recognized for her commitment to solving some of our nation’s most pressing problems.

See what I mean? BADASS. But she’s also just a good human. She’s someone who loves to connect people, support people, and she just exudes energy.

But instead of telling you all about Tina, I want you to meet her. So put your feet up, or strap on your walking shoes, and settle in.

How to move through it. How to BE in it. How to make the most of it.

We humans seem ill equipped to make time work for us. It’s either going too slow or too fast.

I have found that the only way to make some kind of peace with time is to have a set of sacred daily rituals. And by far, the most important of these rituals is the Morning Ritual.

Think of this episode as a roadmap ... a guide for constructing a morning ritual that feels like Home.

Ed is also the best selling author of two books: "Not Caring What Other People Think Is A Superpower: Insights From A Heavyweight Boxer" and "Sober Letters To My Drunken Self"

Ed is also a veteran of the United States Army National Guard. And at the age of 33, he went back to school and got a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Physics.

Ed is also a VERY active online and over-the-board chess player, was featured in American Chess Magazine. Ed has been featured on Ryan Holiday’s fantastic blog, The Daily Stoic, and is featured in one of my favorite books EVER: Atomic Habits by James Clear.

The man defies categorization. So pour yourself a cup of coffee, and get ready. It is my delight to introduce you to Ed Latimore.

And here’s the thing: 2020 served up a million reasons to feel victimized, and the three questions I posed were part ONE of a two part meditation on moving *out of* feeling victimized by circumstance, and *into* feeling the power of our own agency. One of the only true sources of power we possess.

2021 is our opportunity to flip the script ... without burning ourselves out in the process.

It's an opportunity to reclaim our imagination, and our will to thrive. Grab a journal and a hot beverage, and let's do this.

But this time, the phrase “New Year’s Resolution” seems hopelessly naive.

Quaint. A throwback to a simpler time. I get it. We all got our asses handed to us this year. It gave new meaning to the old saying, “Want to make God laugh? Tell Him your plans.”

But here’s what I know: Resolution and plans and dreams need to be build on the solid ground of introspection. Before we dreamscape 2021, we need to tend to the wounds of 2020. This episode is part one of a two-part series designed to prime us for excellence in the coming year. Grab your journal, and join me!

My guest today is someone I’ve been observing from a far for a while now. Keenya Kelly is a branding and business coach who has been blowing up on … wait for it … TikTok.

If you’re like me, you probably associate TikTok with your kids, or with impossible choreography. But friends, TikTok actually represents one of the biggest public relations and branding opportunities we’ve had in a good long time.

Get your coffee, and get ready to meet the delightful, bright light that is Keenya Kelly.

I myself have been the target of gaslighting, but I’ve learned how to spot it, how to stop it, and how to fortify my own mind so that I’m not quite so vulnerable to it.

Today’s episode is focused on helping you to become Gaslight resistant … literate … averse.

It’s called The Social Dilemma. Netflix describes it as a “documentary-drama hybrid” that explores “the dangerous human impact of social networking, with tech experts sounding the alarm on their own creations.”

What makes this film extraordinary is that it’s forcing us to face what we already know to be true about social media … That our mental health, our democracy, and our humanity are in the balance.

My guest today is Dr. Anna Lembke who you will recognize from the film, as she offered her wisdom on the addictive nature of social media. Dr. Lembke is an Associate Professor and Medical Director of Addiction Medicine, Stanford’s School of Medicine. She is also Program Director of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Fellowship, and Chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic.

In 2016, she published a best-selling book on the prescription drug epidemic, Drug Dealer, MD – How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked, and Why It’s So Hard to Stop and is currently at work on a new book, out next year.

Without a doubt, my favorite part of this interview is when she discloses her own personal form of addictive behavior. You’re not gonna believe it. And I BLESS her for her vulnerability and openness.

Get ready. You’re gonna LOVE this conversation.

I talk to lots of performance coaches, but what interested me about Keita's work is the focus on systems of accountability. Research shows that if we set specific accountability appointments, goal accomplishment goes up to 95%. Success Bully merges this powerful combination of strategic goal setting and accountability for real action, and I am VERY interested in real action.

The Success Bully team has facilitated workshops for notable brands like: Amazon, Alley to the Valley, Apptio, DomainTools, Facebook’, Ladies Get Paid, Microsoft, Meredith Corp., PartnerTap, O’Reilly Media, and WeWork Labs.

So get ready and gird your loins. Because she’s about to kick butt, in the best possible way.

It's the perfect storm for burnout, friends. In this episode, I share one of the most powerful practices for avoiding burnout, and why I think it's time each of us cultivated a proper Transition Ritual.

That is a quote from Henry David Thoreau’s Walden and it speaks to something that has become quite top-of-mind for us these days: empathy.

The concept of empathy is finally enjoying some well-deserved attention in the zeitgeist right now. We are seeing the limits of a black/white, right/wrong view of the world. We crave connection and understanding not through judgement and confrontation, but through the lens of understanding … through the lens of empathy.

My guest today is Maria Ross, author of The Empathy Edge: Harnessing the Value of Compassion as an Engine for Success, a Playbook for Brands, Leaders and Teams. In it, Maria shares some fantastic stories from executives, changemakers, and leaders of all stripes proving that empathy is not only good for us at a personal level, but that it is also great for business.

The Empathy Edge is full of practical tips, insights, and opportunities to exercise empathy, and I am thrilled to bring you this conversation with Maria Ross.

That’s exactly what happened to me when I met my guest today, the amazing JD Schramm. JD and I met when I was doing the speaker coaching for the TEDxStanford program, and immediately connected. JD founded the Mastery in Communication Initiative at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, where he’s served as a lecturer in Organizational Behavior for 13 years. JD has given not one but TWO TED Talks, which have nearly 2 million views. And earlier this year, before Covid hit, he launched a new book into the world called Communicate with Mastery: Speak with Conviction and Write for Impact.

The book is so helpful, so practical, and so filled with great stories, I wanted to bring him on to talk about it.

Jane and I worked on lots of different ways to show up in the room … ways to signal her power, her strength, her intelligence. Ways of replacing the negative thought patterns she was telling herself about herself and about the people with whom she was meeting. But one of the pieces of advice I gave her made her do a double take.

I asked her: what do you to bring pleasure and joy into your life? In this episode, I make my case for the connection between "presence" and our commitment to cultivating pleasure and joy in our lives.

But the year is 2020, and the role organized religion is playing in our lives is profoundly different. With fewer and fewer of us attending religious services even without a pandemic, and more and more of us identifying as “not affiliated” with a religious group (I didn’t make this up, this is from the Pew study from just last year), what happens when we need answers and comfort? What happens when we feel let down or betrayed by our religions of origin, and yet we feel drawn back into them during times like this? What does spiritual leadership look like during a time where we couldn’t even go to a church service if we wanted to?

Friends, I want to invite you into one of the most interesting and satisfying conversations I’ve had about spirituality in a good long while. May I present, the good Reverend Dr. Rob McClellan.