Lead Like a Woman

Wendy Beth Cozzens is a traveler, speaker, author, and soul guide who created the Living Blueprint, a tool that guides individuals away from stress and confusion to living their potential and gaining traction. Having overcome loss, anxiety, addiction, and suicidal ideation, she wrote Living Blueprint - A True Story: Five Principles to Creating an Authentic, Joy-Filled Life. In this episode… Overcoming profound personal challenges can shape your perspective, leading to unexpected opportunities for growth. After surviving adversity and embarking on a transformative journey of self-discovery, one resilient entrepreneur found a way to turn pain into purpose. How can embracing vulnerability and authenticity lead to a more joyful and meaningful life? Wendy Beth Cozzens has developed five principles for living authentically, which include discovering who you are, following your personal guidance system, nurturing your biochemistry, telling the truth, and demonstrating love and kindness. Exemplifying these principles promotes vulnerability, which allows you to feel safe within your relationships, hone your leadership style, and grow personally and professionally.  Tune in to the latest episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show as Andrea Heuston chats with Wendy Beth Cozzens, a traveler, speaker, author, and soul guide, about living authentically to overcome personal doubts. Wendy Beth talks about designing a living blueprint, how to advance to the next steps in your career and life, and her travel adventures for self-discovery.

Janna Willoughby-Lohr is the Founder of Papercraft Miracles, a handmade paper art company specializing in sustainable weddings and events, corporate swag, and custom orders. Having studied under renowned book artist and author Gwen Diehn, Janna has been writing poetry for over 35 years and has been performing live as a musician for over 30 years.  In this episode… Personal tragedies can taint your whole world, making it seem like you’ll never get past your grief. However, you can leverage these experiences to influence your professional endeavors. How can you transform calamities into thriving business ventures? Janna Willoughby-Lohr, an artist, entrepreneur, and advocate for connection, has built a career turning grief into inspiration. Following a series of personal tragedies during college, including the loss of her mother, a dorm fire, and financial aid troubles, Janna discovered the power of storytelling through art. She began creating artist books that intertwined materials, design, and words to explore themes of resilience and meaning. These works inspired others and solidified her belief in the importance of human connection, which she highlights is crucial to audience engagement. In this episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Andrea Heuston interviews Janna Willoughby-Lohr, the Founder of Paper Craft Miracles, about transforming challenges into creativity and purpose. Janna shares how her personal calamities shaped her entrepreneurial path, the impactful projects she’s undertaken, and her efforts to empower other women through her business and community work.

Jamie Van Cuyk is the Owner of Growing Your Team, which provides bespoke hiring frameworks and comprehensive guidance for women entrepreneurs. With over 15 years of leadership experience, she teaches women to master the hiring process. Jamie is also a speaker and the host of The Growing Your Team Podcast.  In this episode… Many women entrepreneurs struggle to delegate tasks and trust others, believing they have to accomplish everything alone to achieve success. How can you embrace delegation as a positive step to grow your team effectively? According to hiring consultant Jamie Van Cuyk, women often carry a heavy mental load, balancing professional and personal responsibilities, which can hinder growth. Jamie believes that delegating personal and professional tasks allows women to accomplish their goals. By starting with small, manageable hires, such as part-time or contract roles, women can lighten their workload and focus on their strengths. In the latest episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Andrea Heuston welcomes Jamie Van Cuyk to discuss the art of hiring and onboarding. Jamie shares her journey from corporate life to entrepreneurship, offers strategies for hiring the right people, and highlights the mindset shifts needed for delegation. She also reveals her superpower of deep listening, which enables her to craft personalized hiring strategies and help businesses thrive.

Karen Valencic is the Founder of Spiral Impact, where she blends physics and martial arts to manage conflict and enhance performance. With over 30 years of experience in the martial art Aikido, she created the Spiral Impact method, which guides people on mastering conflict, fostering positive engagement, and driving innovation. Karen is also the author of Spiral Impact: Black Belt Edition. In this episode… Conflict is often viewed as negative, especially by women who feel they lack positions of power to resolve conflict. However, conflict can foster innovation and growth when managed effectively. How can you shift your approach to leverage conflict to your benefit? As a third-degree black belt in Aikido, Karen Valencic defines conflict as the tension between force and power. Recognizing this tension is the first step to mastering conflict since it allows you to develop emotional intelligence and mindfulness to solve problems. You must then determine where and how to focus your energy, which may involve asking questions to gain more information about the issue and foster a positive dialogue.  Tune in to this episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show as Andrea Heuston invites Karen Valencic, the Founder of Spiral Impact, to speak about mastering conflict in your personal and professional lives. Karen shares the connection between conflict resolution and Aikido techniques, how to join her conflict mastery course, and how Aikido altered her perspective.

Helena Smolock is the Founder, President, and CEO of Velocity Athletic Training, an award-winning company that helps professionals gain strength through resistance and functional training and meditation. As a fitness professional and master athlete, she has over 35 years of experience in the fitness industry. Helena has assisted corporate clients, semi-pro athletes, and post-rehab clients with injuries in her studio.  In this episode… Pursuing optimal health often focuses on physical fitness, but what role do mental and emotional well-being play? For individuals in the corporate space, achieving ideal health requires both physical activity and a mindset that fosters resilience and positivity. How can you align your mental and physical health to thrive? Helena Smolock, a seasoned fitness expert, has dedicated her career to understanding this balance. Drawing from her experience as a master athlete and corporate wellness work, Helena emphasizes the importance of mindset in driving physical health. Her method includes using affirmations and visualization techniques, such as mantras encouraging individuals to focus on empowering words and positive goals.  In this episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Andrea Heuston speaks with Helena Smolock, the Founder, President, and CEO of Velocity Athletic Training, about fostering health and wellness in both personal and professional settings. Helena shares her journey from aspiring criminal lawyer to fitness entrepreneur, her strategies for addressing the mental health challenges of remote work, and how her tools help individuals and teams optimize their well-being.

Jennifer Brown is the Founder and CEO of Jennifer Brown Speaks, where she focuses on keynote speaking and coaching organizations on creating inclusive workplaces. As a globally recognized DEI thought leader, speaker, award-winning entrepreneur, and bestselling author, she has 20 years of experience consulting with leaders. Jennifer is the author of Inclusive and How to Be an Inclusive Leader. She has also spoken at institutions and organizations like Google, LinkedIn, and Toyota about building cultures of belonging and envisioning the future of work.   In this episode… The Supreme Court recently banned affirmative action in college admissions, indirectly impacting businesses' efforts to foster equal representation and inclusion. With inclusivity and diversity becoming increasingly important, what does it take to lead with authenticity and impact? As an LGBTQ+ entrepreneur, Jennifer Brown faced stigma and discomfort in the corporate world after coming out, leading her to suppress her identity. Rather than minimizing your or another’s identity, she emphasizes aligning with your true self and fostering an inclusive environment for others. This involves embracing your diverse characteristics and sharing those experiences with others, which can alter established paradigms and empower others facing similar struggles. In today’s episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Andrea Heuston talks with Jennifer Brown, the Founder and CEO of Jennifer Brown Speaks, about cultivating diversity and inclusion. Jennifer discusses her company’s merger, the current state of DEI programs, and how she built her consultancy from the ground up.

Ann Latham is the Founder of Uncommon Clarity, a consulting firm helping professionals gain cognitive clarity. As a clarity consultant, she has worked with notable businesses, including Hitachi, Boeing, and Medtronic. Ann is also the author of The Power of Clarity, The Disconnect Principle, The Clarity Papers, and Uncommon Meetings. Her insights have appeared in The New York Times, Bloomberg, and Management Today. In this episode… The word “clarity” is used frequently in business contexts, but what does it mean? For entrepreneurs and leaders, clarity involves identifying your goals and methods for achieving them. How can you gain clarity in all aspects of your professional life? Widely recognized “Clarity Queen,” Ann Latham has discovered the common roadblocks to goal progression, including a lack of specificity and clear communication. She maintains the importance of gathering enough information to make informed decisions about the next steps. This involves identifying specific decisions and action steps and developing detailed plans to execute them. In this episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Andrea Heuston sits down with Ann Latham, the Founder of Uncommon Clarity, to discuss how to gain clarity in your professional life. Ann explains how to accelerate results and optimize communication in meetings, the takeaways from her TEDx talk, and insights from her books.

Libby Wagner is the President and Chief Visionary Officer at influencingOptions®, a business consulting and training firm that creates high-performance teams and leaders. She is also the Co-founder of The Studio, a change consultancy that fosters innovation through artistry. As an entrepreneur, mentor, and leadership coach, Libby helps executives create impactful organizational cultures. She is the author of The Influencing Option, What Will You Do With Your 90,000 Hours, and three poem collections, including Like This, Like That, Somehow, and Dancing on the Summer Lawn. In this episode… Women are well-recognized for their innovation, empathy, and communication, especially in leadership roles. How can you own your voice and strengths to become a high-performing leader? Writer, poet, and speaker Libby Wagner has harnessed nature and art to connect with her inner self and deliver authentic work. She notes that women leaders often struggle to trust themselves and question their intuition based on negative past experiences. When you become confident in your voice, you can deliver impactful messages that build trust and authority with teams and audiences. In today’s episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Andrea Heuston chats with Libby Wagner, the President and Chief Visionary Officer at influencingOptions®, about cultivating high-trust leadership. Libby shares how connections with nature foster creativity and leadership, her nonlinear career path, and how she honed her strengths to launch her business.

Chanie Gluck is the CEO of 4D Global, a medical billing staffing company. She is also the host of the Growing Global and Leaders in Medical Billing podcasts. As an Inc. 5000 entrepreneur, Chanie has been voted The Next 1,000 CEOs to Watch by Forbes and Inspiring CEOs 2021 by InSight Magazine. In this episode… While female leadership styles are becoming more accepted, women still embody male characteristics when leading, especially during stressful periods. How can you embrace your feminine energy in your personal and professional life? For global entrepreneur Chanie Gluck, leading like a woman means embracing her role as a female in business. Women share unique traits like intuition and strong instincts that allow them to balance work and life effectively. When struggling to maintain composure during high-stress situations, rather than reverting to masculine tendencies, you can delegate tasks to simplify your work-life balancing act. This may involve offshoring talent to streamline responsibilities. In the latest episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Andrea Heuston invites Chanie Gluck, the CEO of 4D Global, who talks about offshoring talent and embracing your feminine characteristics. Chanie discusses the future of offshoring, how she balances work and motherhood, and how she dispels myths about offshoring.

Donna Griffit is a corporate storyteller and Communication Coach at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, where she works with students to improve their communication, executive presence, writing, storytelling, and pitching. For 30 years, Donna has worked with Fortune 500 companies, startups, and investors in 30 countries, helping them create, edit, and deliver powerful presentations. She is also the author of Sticking to My Story: The Alchemy of Storytelling for Startups. In this episode… While women entrepreneurs have received significantly more funding in recent years, less than 2% of all VC funding goes toward female founders. How can you amplify women’s voices to ensure they receive fair funding? According to pitch and storytelling alchemist Donna Griffit, the key to capturing investors’ attention is a compelling pitch. Her four-acts formula is based on universal archetypes startups can leverage to simplify their pitches. It involves identifying the villain as the problem, the solution as the hero, the business plan as the hero’s course of action, and the vision for the future as the happy ending. This creates a well-structured pitch that positions you as an authority figure. Founders should also prepare lists of answers to potential investor questions. In today’s episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Andrea Heuston chats with Donna Griffit about crafting winning startup pitches. Donna shares why she embraces serendipitous moments, how to generate more sales, and the essential elements of corporate storytelling.