

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

Mar 23, 2020 • 37min
425: It’s Ok To Take A Break From Fear
Fear doesn’t get to drive.In unpredictable and unprecedented times, fear is normal - and even healthy. Fear will sit right beside you, keeping an eye out for you, making sure you are awake and alert. Fear might be in your front seat, but fear does not get to drive your car. As Marie Forleo says in Everything Is Firgureoutable, “Fear is not the enemy. Waiting to stop feeling afraid is.”If you’re waiting to stop feeling afraid, you will waste a lot of precious time. You will miss out on joy. You will be blind to opportunities that are right in front of you. In this episode, we will talk about how you can embrace fear, tame fear, and find joy with fear sitting right beside you.Links mentioned:Join our free Hope, Happiness & Mental Health ChallengeThank you to our sponsors:
Kosmatology: Kosmatology has a great offer for our listeners: for any first-time purchasers, you receive 15% off. To get 15% off your first order, go to Kosmatology.com and use code shameless at checkout.
Laurel Springs: Register your child at LaurelSprings.com/shameless today and receive a waived registration fee.
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Mar 18, 2020 • 56min
424: Mikaela Kiner: Female Firebrands In The Workplace
Mikaela Kiner is a Shameless Mom of two teens, a certified executive coach, and experienced consultant. In 2015, Mikaela founded Reverb, a leading provider of flexible HR services for startups and growing companies in the Pacific Northwest. An HR professional for nearly twenty years, Mikaela enjoys coaching leaders at all levels and helping companies build healthy, inclusive cultures. She's been quoted in Fast Company, the Wall Street Journal, and The Muse, and is a member of the Forbes Human Resources Council. She’s the author Female Firebrands: Stories and Techniques to Ignite Change, Take Control, and Succeed in the Workplace.Mikaela has coached leaders at all levels who want to live and lead in a purposeful way based on their values. By acting as a sounding board and accountability partner, she supports her coaching clients in achieving their goals. She particularly enjoys working with entrepreneurs, executives, and high potential women leaders.Mikaela lives in Seattle and is happily married to Henry, who’s a musician, artist, and teacher. Their two children are good at challenging the status quo and are a constant source of learning and laughter. She is a strong believer that a healthy, inclusive culture is integral to the success of every organization.Listen in to hear Mikaela share:
The diversity in interviews when interviewing 13 women with the exact same questions
The truth about competition between women in the workplace
The gift of Brene Brown telling her no
How to use data to create equity in the workplace
How to be a leader of inclusivity in the workplace
Why research shows that moms make awesome leaders - especially if you have 2 or more kids
The steps you can take to become a stronger leader today
Links Mentioned:
Connect with Mikaela: Reverb People
Mikaela on IG: Reverb People
Mikaela on Linked IN: Mikaela Kiner
Book: Female Firebrands by Mikaela Kiner
Article: Harvard Law Review: Primal Leadership
Book: Multipliers by Liz Wiseman
Podcast: I Hate My Boss
Thank you to our sponsors:
Grove Collaborative: For a limited time, when my listeners go to Grove.co/SHAMELESS you will get FREE FIVE PIECE Cleaning Set from Mrs. Meyer’s and Grove - a THIRTY DOLLAR value! Check out Grove and our special offer at Grove.co/SHAMELESS.
Undercover Tourist: Start planning your next theme park vacation now by visiting UndercoverTourist.com/SHAMELESS. That’s an additional discount using SHAMELESS on top of the big savings already offered through Undercover Tourist.
Kosmatology: Kosmatology has a great offer for our listeners: for any first-time purchasers, you receive 15% off. To get 15% off your first order, go to Kosmatology.com and use code shameless at checkout.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mar 16, 2020 • 38min
423: 5 Ways To Find Light In The Darkness Of COVID-19
For those of us who enjoy control and predictability in life, these are tough (if not excruciating) times. We are living in a pandemic - something I ignorantly and blissfully thought only existed in history books and Bible stories…But, friends, we are still living. Just under very different circumstances than we are used to.Know this - we are standing at the start line of a marathon. We need to show up prepared to pace ourselves, stay nourished & hydrated and - most importantly - keep our head game STRONG.Some of you have heard the story of my one and only marathon. At mile 2 I decided I didn’t really feel like running anymore. I was just over it… And the following 4+ hours were absolutely grueling. I couldn’t mentally recover, which made me physically deteriorate at a rapid pace.In the case of COVID-19, we cannot afford to deteriorate at the start line, or at mile 2. We will need to be extremely intentional and diligent in managing our energy and expectations. We will need to be nimble, adaptable, and creative. We will need to create boundaries around the places (namely the internet) and people who drain us or create unnecessary fear, panic or anxiety within us.We also need to take radical responsibility for seeking hope and happiness during this marathon. If we are to sustain ourselves over the coming months, we must be able to find the cracks where the light is begging to come in. I promise they exist - but you will need to actively seek them out.I am in Seattle - the US epicenter of COVID-19. Our city is pretty much shut down. It is hard and heavy. And there is light. I can see the cracks. If I can see the cracks you can too.Listen in to learn 5 ways to find light in the darkness of COVID-19. Also, please join me for our upcoming free Hope, Happiness & Mental Health Challenge (sign up: shamelessmom.com/challenge). We start Monday, March 23rd. This challenge is the light you’re looking for.Links Mentioned: Hope, Happiness & Mental Health ChallengeThank you to our sponsors:
Built Bar: Built Bar is offering my listeners 10% off your first purchase! Go to Builtbar.com and enter promo code SHAMELESS at checkout to receive 10% off your first order!
Native: For 20% off your first purchase, visit nativedeodorant.com and use promo code shameless at checkout.
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Mar 11, 2020 • 49min
422: Jessie Artigue and Gerard Brown: Foster Parents And Child Free By Choice
Gerard + Jessie Pepper have been partners in crime since 2005. Their relationship started over a clean pile of laundry, and now they dish about life, love and how to keep from losing your mind on a podcast called Marriage Is Funny. Gerard loves his day job as a financial actuary, and Jessie continues to build her career as a lifestyle expert and online brand at StyleAndPepper.com. They enjoy preaching and speaking whenever possible, are always happiest while hosting friends and family in their home, and love being enthusiastic pet-parents to a rescue pup named Sadie Mae.Listen in to hear:
Why they started a marriage podcast at the worst time in their marriage
What is like to record a podcast with your partner when you’re annoyed with them
Why they decided to be child free and why they opted to become foster parents instead
The beautiful gifts and intense challenges of hosting short term foster placement
The impact of foster parenting on their marriage
If fostering has shifted their perspective on having children of their own.
Links Mentioned:
Marriage is funny Podcast
Free Marriage Myths video series: Meet The Peppers
Meet The Peppers / Grounded Marriage
Jessie's personal IG: @styleandpepper
Marriage is Funny IG: @meetthepeppers
Connect with Jessie at jessieartigue.com
Learn more about safe-families.org
Thank you to our sponsors:
Talkspace: To match with your perfect therapist for a fraction of the price of traditional therapy, go to talkspace.com, Make sure to use the code SHAMELESS to get $100 off your first month and show your support for the show.
Betabrand: Right now, our listeners can get 20% off their first order when you go to betabrand.com/shameless (shameless must be lowercase).
Lightstream: Just for my listeners: apply now to get an additional interest rate discount. The ONLY way to get this discount is to go to Lightstream.com/SHAMELESS..
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Mar 9, 2020 • 29min
421: Let Other People Be Mad At You
‘Tis the season of disappointing other people. Fa la la la la….As my platform has grown so has my exposure to judgement. In my personal and professional life, there are people who have been disappointed in me, even angry with me, over the last year or so. I will be honest with you, this kind of thing used to really eat me up inside. I’m not going to tell you that I’m super-cool with people being upset with me now. But I can tell you that I have done a lot of work to be ok with some people being mad at me - and me NOT OWNING their feelings. The truth is this: a person’s emotions are their own responsibility. I have repeatedly found that the people who are disappointed in me or angry with me have one or more of these things in common:
A poor sense of self
A general lack of self-awareness
Poor coping skills
A weak or completely lacking support system
For these folks, I will forgive them in order to make peace in my own life so I can move forward. I will not make space for their energy or abuse, In fact, I will actively distance and separate myself from it. And, most importantly, I will not take responsibility for their emotions. If I hurt someone or cause someone harm, I will own that and apologize. I will take radical responsibility for myself and my actions - but not for others reactions to my actions.This is what it looks like to have boundaries. This is what it looks like to be a grown-up. It is not easy. But it is the only way to show all the way up for those who matter most to me. I would be doing myself and my loved ones a massive disservice if I took on my haters anger or displaced feelings. The same goes for you.How do you stay in your own way when it comes to other people’s opinions and judgments of you? You must take radical responsibility for that. This episode will teach you how. Links mentioned:Book: The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday
Thank you to our sponsors:
Openfit: Right now, my listeners get an extended 14-day FREE trial membership to OPENFIT when you text SHAMELESS to 505050.
For All Moms Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fam-for-all-moms/id1494037915
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Mar 4, 2020 • 48min
420: Parijat Deshpande: Finding Power & Hope In High Risk Pregnancies
Parijat Deshpande is Shameless Mom and the leading high-risk pregnancy expert, mind-body health specialist, trauma professional, speaker and author who teaches women how to deactivate their stress response before, during and after a high-risk pregnancy so they can give their baby a strong start to life. Her unique approach has served hundreds of women to manage pregnancy complications and reclaim a safety and trust in their bodies that they thought was eroded forever. Parijat is the author of bestselling book Pregnancy Brain: A Mind-Body Approach to Stress Management During a High-Risk Pregnancy. She is also the host of the popular podcast Delivering Miracles®, that discusses the real, raw side of family-building including infertility, loss, high-risk pregnancy, bed rest, prematurity and healing once baby comes home.Listen in to hear Parijat share:
Her journey of serious and dangerous complications during fertility treatments that lead to the delivery of her 24 week old baby boy
How she managed preterm labor, used her mind to dramatically impact her and her baby’s health, and bought her son a life giving 15 additional days in utero
The very bittersweet journey of having a second child via a gestational carrier
The impact of prenatal stress/trauma on pregnancy outcomes and how you can learn to self manage prenatal stress/trauma by re-regulating your nervous system
The truth about trauma and how your body and brain resolve it - or not
Links mentioned:
Join me at Shameless Mom Con
Connect with Parijat
Thank you to our sponsors:
Third Love: To find the perfect fitting bra and get 15% off your first purchase got to www.thirdlove.com/shameless
Best Fiends: Download FREE on the Apple App Store or Google Play.
If These Ovaries Could Talk Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-these-ovaries-could-talk/id1331160807
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Mar 2, 2020 • 39min
419: Exposure Therapy, Anxiety, and Power
You have probably heard the saying, “The only way out is through.” I would add to this that the only way into your power is through the pain and discomfort of growth.Power, achievement, growth, and success only come from putting yourself in situations that push you in new ways. And that can be ridiculously hard and scary. For me, there are often nearly impossible nerves to overcome, a racing heart that makes me unable to speak, a belly that cannot stop flip-flopping, and legs that won’t stop shaking.The more dramatic the symptoms, the more I know I’ll grow through the discomfort. Case in point: as I’ve taken up new challenges in skiing this year, I’ve experienced all the above symptoms very regularly. And I hate it. I hate it to the point that I get angry. Also, I’m growing in the biggest ways since I started skiing - as a skier, an athlete, and a woman who is becoming more powerful in all areas of life through actively embracing fear.It’s really hard. But I’m HERE. FOR. IT.If you want more power in your life you will have to get more uncomfortable. You will have to do hard things. There is no way around it. It is only through the consistent exposure to scary and hard things that we get to see who we are becoming, how much potential we have for success, and what kind of true joy we are capable of creating for ourselves.Listen in to hear how I’m using exposure therapy to face my biggest fears this year - and how it’s changing the game for me.Links mentioned:Join me for Shameless Mom ConThank you to our sponsors:
Laurel Springs: Register your child at LaurelSprings.com/shameless today and receive a waived registration fee.
Thrive: Start thriving and help women in need today by going to ThriveCausemetics.com/shameless and use code shameless for 15% off your first purchase!
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Feb 26, 2020 • 58min
418: Naomi Clark: From Clearing Her Dresser to Getting Clear On Her Life
Naomi Clark is the CEO of Her Money Map where she helps women transform their mindset around money and partners with them to create cash flow strategies that support their values and lifetime goals. Her mission is to help women crush their self-limiting beliefs and barriers when it comes to money. She believes one of the primary reasons women struggle with confidence in making financial decisions is in large part due to the patriarchy which is designed to make women feel doubtful and distracted.Naomi is also the creator and host of "The OutSpoken Girlfriend" podcast where she encourages and celebrates women to step into their best selves - their authentic selves. But this isn't your typical personal development podcast. As a self-described "sworn enemy of the patriarchy" Naomi provides strategies and tactics that teaches women how to dismantle the patriarchy as they pursue their best lives.In the "muggle world" Naomi has a degree in Finance with over 20 years of corporate experience in Accounting, Supply Chain Management, and Project Management.In addition to all this, Naomi is one of the OGs of the Shameless Mom community and one of our speakers for Shameless Mom Con 2020. I think you’re going to love hearing her story of growth and transformation as a Shameless Mom.Listen in to hear Naomi share:
What the American Dream looked like for her as a black woman and why it was not so dreamy
How letting her life get really small made her life miserable
How setting the simple goal of cleaning off her dresser snowballed into cleaning up the vision for her life
The truth about working against the patriarchy - and how she’s helping women do this powerful work
Her powerful message for white moms and white women
Links mentioned:
Hear Naomi speak at Shameless Mom Con 2020
Connect with Naomi
The Outspoken Girlfriend Podcast
The Outspoken Girlfriend Facebook group
Naomi on Instagram: The Out Spoken Girlfriend
Thank you to our sponsors:
Lightstream: Just for my listeners: apply now to get an additional interest rate discount. The ONLY way to get this discount is to go to Lightstream.com/SHAMELESS.
com: To save 30% off a Care.com Premium membership, visit Care.com/SHAMELESSMOM
FamilyAlbum: Please find FamilyAlbum on your favorite app store, or by searching for FamilyAlbum on the web. And remember FamilyAlbum is all one word.
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Feb 24, 2020 • 38min
417: “I Don’t Have Anything To Offer”
Have you ever met a woman who didn’t have anything to offer?Yeah, me neither. Every woman I’ve ever met has had something extraordinary and unique that qualifies her to take up her very own special place in this world. While you may fully recognize what other women have to offer, you may fail to see what you have to offer. You may think that everyone else has something to offer - and you don’t. This is simply untrue. This became glaring to me when I recently asked in our private FB group, “What’s holding you back from attending Shameless Mom Con?” A few mamas said they were worried they didn’t have anything to offer and thought they might not fit in with the other awesome attendees. Isn’t it funny (and sad!) how we get in our own way???Listen in to hear me coach you out of this mindset that you have less to offer than anyone around you. Listen in to hear the truth.Links Mentioned:Join me at Shameless Mom Con 2020Thank you to our sponsors:
Undercover Tourist: Start planning your next theme park vacation now by visiting UndercoverTourist.com/SHAMELESS. That’s an additional discount using SHAMELESS on top of the big savings already offered through Undercover Tourist.
Grove Collaborative: For a limited time, when my listeners go to Grove.co/SHAMELESS you will get FREE FIVE PIECE Cleaning Set from Mrs. Meyer’s and Grove - a THIRTY DOLLAR value! Check out Grove and our special offer at Grove.co/SHAMELESS.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feb 19, 2020 • 50min
416: Ashley Abercrombie: Overcoming Trauma and Perfectionism To Find Space & Grace
Ashley Abercrombie fought to overcome addiction, rape, abortion, perfectionism and dysfunctional relationships to become an honest, whole and free woman (most days). She wore a mask more than half her life, and considers herself too old, and too annoyed to ever put that thing on again.Ashley is a speaker and a writer, featured in many magazines and digital outlets, including Darling, Relevant and Grit and Virtue. Her YouVersion Bible study, Finding God in the Hard Places, has been completed by over 200,000 people. Her first book will be released in the fall of 2019, with Baker Books. Alongside fellow author and speaker, Tiffany Bluhm, Ashley is the co-host for the hilarious and helpful podcast Why Tho.She has an unrelenting passion for justice, particularly anti-human trafficking and mass incarceration initiatives, and served the city of Los Angeles for seven years, winning commendations from the LAPD and Los Angeles Mayor’s office, before transitioning to Manhattan to pastor at Liberty Church, Downtown, alongside her husband, Cody. Ashley is an executive board bember of Treasures, a non-profit that reaches and supports women in the sex industry and victims of sexual exploitation, while training leaders globally.The Abercrombies are nearly brain dead from sleep deprivation, but love their life, raising two incredible sons, Levi (5) and Lucas (2), in their beautiful neighborhood in Harlem, New York.Listen in to hear Ashley share:
How she gave up her PhD in pretending her life was great and get honest about her story and proudly own it - how to stop pretending and performing for others
How enduring an eating disorder, addiction, sexual assault, and abortion led her to her current place of grace in life
How our secrets inevitably lead to self harm
The benefits of adjusting your expectations every morning instead of assuming every day will be great
The exact action she takes to be honest with herself #everydamnday
The beauty of recognizing the notion that time is your friend
Why a day of rest is essential as a family
How to have more holy gumption in order to live your best, most spirited life
Links Mentioned:
Join me at Shameless Mom Con 2020
SMA Ep 322 with Tiffany Bluhm
Connect with Ashley: Ashabercrombie
IG & Twitter: @ashabercrombie
Facebook: @ashabercrombienyc
Thank you to our sponsors:
Derma E: To get you started on trying their clean beauty solutions they are giving you 20% off sitewide with promo code SHAMELESS20 at https://dermae.com/.
FamilyAlbum: Please find FamilyAlbum on your favorite app store, or by searching for FamilyAlbum on the web. And remember FamilyAlbum is all one word.
Blinkist: Go to Blinkist.com/SHAMELESS try it FREE for 7 days AND save 25% off your new subscription.
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