

Shameless Leadership
Sara Dean
Welcome to Shameless Leadership! This show is for women, transgender people, non-binary folks, and allies who are committed to advancing their leadership and the leadership of those around them. In this space, we believe everyone deserves to feel seen, heard, valued, and supported. Our mission is to help you foster these feelings within your own circles of influence to build trust, psychological safety, and a culture of belonging.In each episode, we dive into essential topics impacting women in leadership - everything from shutting down your inner critic and imposter syndrome to overcoming perfectionism to using your voice in new ways to advocate for yourself, your ideas, and other folks carrying marginalized identities. You'll hear practical tips, effective strategies, and inspiring stories that will not only enhance your leadership skills but also broaden your perspective to become a more confident, thoughtful, and empathetic leader.Our stories come from people carrying identities who are often underrepresented, underestimated, and excluded. By sharing their experiences, we aim to provide you with invaluable lessons that will transform your leadership journey. We are thrilled to have you join this community of Shameless Leaders who are actively creating a world where everyone, regardless of gender, can intentionally lead through a more curious, compassionate, and inclusive lens.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 10, 2022 • 1h 1min
675: Dr. Lynyetta Willis: The 5 Step Empowered Path to Peace & Ease in Motherhood
Dr. Lynyetta Willis is a psychologist, family empowerment coach, speaker, and award-winning author who helps frustrated families break free from Stable Misery™ and unhelpful parenting and partnership patterns, so they can create more harmony at home. Over 20 years of journeying with countless clients led her to design the research-supported Elemental Living® Model and her P.A.T.H.S. Relationship Framework. These powerful tools help parents and partners improve communication, minimize overreactions, and transform intergenerational trauma. Her programs have supported parents across the globe - in South Africa, Israel, New Zealand, and Australia. Dr. Willis’s multi-award-winning book, My Forgotten Self: A Story about a Girl, a Powerful Encounter, and a Universal Message, received high acclaim from individuals such as Dr. Shefali Tsabary, author of The Conscious Parent and “Oprah’s Parenting Expert”. Dr. Willis lives in Georgia with her husband and their two children.Listen in to hear Lynyetta share:
How she was raised within the framework of the 4 horsemen: Pain, Blame, Shame and Avoidance
How she learned to navigate and negotiate the symptoms of her intergenerational dramas and traumas in order to heal
The difference between healing your mind through learning vs healing your body by working through trauma
What intergenerational dramas are and how they impact our lives across generations
The difference between stressors and triggers in parenting and how to handle them differently
Her 5 part PATHS framework to parenting in a more productive way
What Stable Misery is, how we unintentionally spend so much time here, and how to get out of Stable Misery
Links mentioned:
Free Workshop: Calm My Parenting Triggers
Quiz: What’s Your Parenting Trigger Score?
Connect with Dr. Lynetta: drlwillis.com
Dr. Lynyetta on IG
Dr. Lynyetta on FB
Dr. Lynyetta on LI
Sponsor info and promo codes:
Please find our sponsor information here: shamelessmom.com/sponsor/
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 8, 2022 • 36min
674: Navigating the Loss of a Complicated Parent
I sat down to write notes before recording this episode at least 14 times. Each time I could not find a starting point. Or an ending point. So, I decided to just hit record. With no notes. In this episode I share my relationship with my dad with you. For the last 10 years, it was complicated and confusing. It was a relationship that never had closure, but ultimately has peace. Since his passing, so many of you have reached out to share your love. Thank you. I appreciate you - so much. I have also heard from many of you who have complicated and confusing parent relationships. I recorded this for you. When we have pieces of our lives that are complicated and confusing it helps so much to hear from others who have a similar lived experience. It makes you feel seen and held. It helps you feel less alone and more normal. I SEE YOU. You are not alone. Sponsor info and promo codes:
Please find our sponsor information here: shamelessmom.com/sponsor/
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 3, 2022 • 54min
673: Tanya Sheckley: Building Accessible Education to Honor Her Daughter’s Legacy
Tanya Sheckley is Founder and President of UP Academy, an elementary lab school that values innovation, empathy, and strength and incorporates a unique neuro-development program for children with physical disabilities. Tanya’s vision and mission show it’s possible to celebrate differences, change what’s broken in the American education system and that all children can receive a rigorous, well-rounded education. She is the host of the Rebel Educator podcast, an Edpreneur, an International Speaker, and the author of her new book, Rebel Educator: Create Classrooms of Imagination and Impact. As soon as I learned about what inspired Tanya to build her own school, I knew I wanted to have her as a guest on the show. She has a powerful and important story about education and how she will forever honor her daughter, Eliza. Listen in to hear Tanya share:
How and why she intentionally build a school around her daughter Eliza’s legacy
Eliza’s story of living with Cerebral Palsy
Her journey of building international medical support around Eliza
How she navigated advocating for Eliza’s needs when Eliza was able to meet grade level expectations but was not expected to
What it looks like and feels like and smells like inside UP Academy
The benefits of mixed age and mixed ability classrooms
Examples of what accessible learning looks like
The importance of having children with disabilities and children without disabilities learning alongside one another
What she wants parents to know about parenting a child with disabilities
Links mentioned:
Learn more about UP Academy: upacademysf.com
Resources for Rebel Educators: rebeleducator.com
Connect with Tanya: Tanyasheckley.com
Book: Rebel Educator
Tanya on LinkedIn
UP Academy on FB
UP Academy on IG
Eliza’s story: https://www.upacademysf.com/elizas-story
Sponsor info and promo codes:
Please find our sponsor information here: shamelessmom.com/sponsor/
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 1, 2022 • 36min
672: 6 Ways to Develop Your Sense of Agency
I spent three days last week in a Trauma-Informed Practice Intensive for Coaches and Leaders. One of the things we kept coming back to over the course of these three days was making sure we, as coaches, are creating spaces that allow our clients a strong sense of agency. As we dug into this from various angles and examined it through the lens of trauma, I got more and more curious and started doing my own research on the side. I know, super nerd alert. I love geeking out on this stuff. While I won’t bore you with the super coachy stuff, I do want to share with you the juicy parts - the pieces I know will benefit you right away. One of the best parts of my job is providing you with tools to see your own power and your own ability to make choices that serve you. I want you to feel confident in your own sense of self and sense of agency that guides your decision-making and action-taking. In this episode I dig into:
What is personal agency
Why is a sense of agency important
What are 6 ways to develop your sense of agency
It is my hope that developing your sense of agency will give you clarity and discernment around who you are and who you are becoming. Links mentioned:
Article: https://www.mindful.org/seven-ways-to-develop-personal-agency/
Trudi Lebron: trudilebron.com
Sponsor info and promo codes:
Please find our sponsor information here: shamelessmom.com/sponsor/
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 27, 2022 • 49min
671: Asha Frost: You Are the Medicine
Asha Frost (she/her) is an Indigenous Medicine Woman and a member of the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation. She is from the Crane Clan, the totem of leadership, and believes in holding space from vision and heart. As an energy healer, homeopath, and mentor, Asha has guided thousands of people through profound and lasting transformation. Impacted by generational trauma and colonization, Asha has been on a lifelong journey of reclamation. A lupus diagnosis sent her on a path of studying and practicing a multitude of energy Medicine modalities with many guides. She has blended this life experience with her innate gifts and the wisdom of her Ancestors. She loves sharing her Medicine in powerful ways through Ceremonies, teachings, and speaking events. Through this work, she loves seeing people reclaim their roots, find their healing wisdom, and rise into their power. She is the author of You are The Medicine published by Hay House and has an Oracle Deck coming out next year. She is also a Shameless Mom to her 5 and 10 year old sons.Listen in to hear Asha share:
The importance of acknowledging and not bypassing the trauma of the pandemic
How generational trauma and colonization led to her journey of reclamation
How her diagnosis of lupus at age 17 impacted her life
The costs of her assimilation when she was the only Indigenous child among white kids growing up
Her sense of responsibility to represent her people and her ancestors, even if imperfectly
Her vision for her book - to decolonize and storytell
The difference between Indigenous appropriation and appreciation - and what she wants white women to know about both
The Indigenous core wound of invisibility
The gift of connecting to your own lineage and land in order to access your ancestors
Links mentioned:
Connect with Asha: ashafrost.com
Book: You are The Medicine: youarethemedicinebook.com
Asha on IG
Asha on FB
Sponsor info and promo codes:
Please find our sponsor information here: shamelessmom.com/sponsor/
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 25, 2022 • 36min
670: Getting to the Start Line Is Harder Than the Finish Line
I’m training for my first triathlon in 18 years. It has definitely been a little daunting getting back into tri training. As I’ve been hopping in the water, onto my bike, and into my running shoes, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the grit, fortitude, and tenacity it takes for us to get to any start lines in our lives. When we cross a finish line, there is often a decent amount of fanfare. People show their support, give you all the accolades, and boost your confidence with cheers. But no one congratulates you for getting to the start line.Getting to any start line typically involves quiet, vulnerable, and methodical decision-making. It takes overcoming self-doubt, shutting down negative self-talk, and deciding, “I am worthy, qualified, and capable to START.” It takes a lot of grit, fortitude, and tenacity that no one ever sees and no one ever gives you credit for. I would argue that it’s substantially harder to get to a start line than a finish line. In this episode, I talk through what it looks like to get yourself to the start line and how to own, honor and embrace what a character-building experience it can be. I SEE YOU approaching start lines in your life. I believe in you. I know you can do it. I am proud with you and so excited for you. Sponsor info and promo codes:
Please find our sponsor information here: shamelessmom.com/sponsor/
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 20, 2022 • 54min
669: Christina Roulund: Discovering & Recovering From Breast Implant Illness
Christina Roulund is the founder of Size: Happy, a movement focused on helping women on their journey to self-love heal from and rebel against the unattainable standards that society inflicts on them, and instead... embrace their own unique beauty. After suffering from Breast Implant Illness, Christina went through explant surgery and experienced nearly complete healing from the multitude of symptoms and side effects of having breast implants. She is now recognized as an expert in the Breast Implant Illness Community, helping other women reclaim their health and happiness through education on her blog at SizeHappy.net ...and through her Facebook group, Breast Implant Illness Rejuvenation & Education with Christina. I was unaware of the prevalence of Breast Implant Illness until I did this interview. Fascinatingly, after doing this interview, I started hearing stories about BII from a number of women. This conversation is for anyone who has implants, knows someone with implants, who has struggled with your relationship with your breasts, or who has been unheard or unseen by the medical community. Listen in to hear Christina share:
How women develop relationships with their breasts in youth and young adulthood
What motivated her to get breast implants in her early twenties
Her experience of enduring Breast Implant Illness
Her experience of being dismissed by her doctor for 3 years as she experienced BII symptoms
The relief she felt in self-diagnosing her BII and going through explant surgery
The trauma of being unseen and unheard by medical professionals
Initial steps to take to start to recover and relearn healthier, more joy-filled body talk
Links mentioned:
Connect with Christina: https://sizehappy.net
Christina on IG
Facebook Group: Breast Implant Illness Rejuvenation and Education With Christina
YouTube: Size Happy
Sponsor info and promo codes:
Please find our sponsor information here: shamelessmom.com/sponsor/
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 18, 2022 • 37min
668: 10 Ways to Own Your Day 10 Minutes or Less
You are not powerless. I know motherhood, and heck, the state of the world, will try to make you feel differently on any given day. It is easy to let outside circumstances dictate how you feel, how you show up, and what you think is possible in any given moment. But, what if YOU could dictate how you feel, how you show up, and what you think is possible in any given moment?Today, I’m sharing with you 10 Ways to Own Your Day in 10 Minutes or Less. These are little tricks I’ve been using for years to help me step back into my power when I feel rocked by circumstances outside myself - anything from my child having a massive meltdown to a tough day in my business to devastating world news. Because I’m determined (like, fiercely determined) to show up for myself, my family and for you all, I’ve had to learn how to keep going and find my power in really sticky, if not impossible, moments. Once you know how to harness a few of these tricks, you can shift your energy and your power in mere minutes on any given day. Being able to use these 10 Minute Tools will allow you to:
Listen inward and find guidance from your intuition
Shut down distractions
Gain clarity around what you choose to let in and focus on for the day
Be reminded of what is good in your life, what you are capable of, what you have to look forward to
You are not powerless. You have the opportunity to own #everydamnday.Link mentioned:Grab my free 15 Minute Manifest: shamelessmom.com/15mm
Sponsor info and promo codes:
Please find our sponsor information here: shamelessmom.com/sponsor/
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 13, 2022 • 53min
667: Kimberly Didrikson: Learning Motherhood: The Intersection of Motherhood and Work
Kimberly Didrikson is the founder of Learning Motherhood, a consulting agency and online community platform that helps women return to work after having a baby from feeling overwhelmed with motherhood and career to thriving in navigating the changes that occur when becoming a mother and also pursuing a career. Kimberly spent 15 years growing her career at a Fortune 100 company and as a director managed teams with portfolios of over $20 million in yearly sales... yet nothing prepared her for growing and birthing a child and returning to work. Determined to change how mothers are supported through this transition back to work, Kimberly created Learning Motherhood. Her passion runs deep in transforming the workplace to support working parents by also providing programs to assist organizations in creating a work environment that embraces families to strengthen company values. She is a workplace advocate for family-friendly policies including parental leave for all and national paid leave programs.Listen in to hear Kimberly share:
How she’s reclaiming her Unicorn Space
How her career was massively connected to her identity and idea of success prior to having kids
How motherhood “played tricks” on her identity
The significance of millions of moms leaving the workforce during the pandemic
The specific long-term impact on the future of work when we consider moms leaving the workforce in droves
The significance of men being part of the parental leave conversation - and actually taking parental leave
Why parental leave should be gender-neutral, not labeled maternity or paternity leave
Steps you can take to speak up and ask questions about parental leave in your workplace
Links mentioned:
Connect with Kimberly: Learningmotherhood.co
Kimberly on IG
Kimberly on FB
Learning Motherhood on LinkedIn
Kimberly on LinkedIn
Podcast: Motherhood and Career Collide
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 11, 2022 • 49min
666: Penny Decree: The Power of Affirmations While Raising Black Sons
Born and raised in Detroit, Penny Decree began her career in construction management working on many of the commercial projects that dot the city’s downtown skyline. After deciding to start a family and giving birth to two boys, Penny wanted to make sure her sons saw themselves and were affirmed early on in the literature they read. She knew championing them and teaching them how to empower themselves at an early age would fortify their foundation as they grew older and faced new challenges as Black males growing up in America. Preparing them early for the societal forces that would work against them was a priority in her parenting strategy. Penny began reciting morning affirmations with her two sons- who were toddler-aged at the time. Penny then decided to transform their affirmations into a book for them and others. Witnessing the power of affirmations in her own life and their little beginnings is what fueled the journey of writing and sharing her debut book, 'I Am Enough' with others. Founding Decreed Publishing along with her two sons was the next step to continue the impact on Black youth. Together, they create empowering children’s books and products to help parents ground their children in truth and take control of their destinies.Listen in to hear Penny share:
How she started to incorporate affirmations with her very young sons to help with anything from potty training to being young Black boys
How to use fluid and flexible affirmations with your kids as they grow and evolve
How she is using affirmations with Black boys so they can own their truth and their worth in a society that puts a target on their back
The importance of diversity in children's literature for Black kids and white kids
The reality of “both Americas” for Black people
The difference in reality between my white son and Penny’s Black sons playing with police cars at a young age
The dignity afforded white children vs Black children
Links mentioned:
Connect with Penny and buy her products: DecreedPublishing.com
Penny on FB
Penny on IG
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