Lead Like a Woman

Congresswoman Nancy Mace grew up in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. She is the daughter of a retired Army General and a retired school teacher. Before being sworn into Congress, Nancy earned accolades as one of the most fiscally conservative members of the South Carolina General Assembly. She is also one of the most pro-conservation lawmakers in that state. She grew up in Goose Creek, South Carolina, and dropped out of high school at the age of 17. She immediately became a waitress at the Waffle House. After earning her high school diploma a few months later, she entered The Citadel (the Military College of South Carolina), where she was the school's first female to graduate from its corps of cadets in 1999. In 2004, Nancy earned a master's degree from the University of Georgia. She is the author of In the Company of Men: A Woman at The Citadel, published by Simon and Schuster in 2001. In 2008, she started her own company. Her background in business is in technology, PR, and marketing, and more recently, commercial real estate before coming to Congress. Amongst her other achievements and responsibilities, Nancy is a single mom of two children, aged 12 and 14. She also has two cats, Tyler and Tiger, and a puppy named Liberty. In this episode… Being the first female to graduate from The Citadel, Congresswoman Nancy Mace was taught a lot of valuable life lessons. She learned the importance of being courageous, confident, and believing in herself. Now she's here to empower women to speak up for themselves, for others, and to give a voice to the voiceless. Nancy advises fellow women leaders to never quit until they achieve what they want. Other people's opinions and perceptions should never define who they are or what they are capable of doing. If a woman doesn't believe in herself, then others will not believe in her and her abilities. Congresswoman Nancy Mace is Andrea Heuston's guest in this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show where she talks about being the first female to graduate from The Citadel and how that impacted her work in Congress. Nancy also talks about her experience growing up in a military family, the lessons she learned from working as a waitress at Waffle House, and how she runs her own business. Stay tuned.

Renée Marino is a Professional Communication Coach named by Yahoo Finance as one of the "Top 10 Communication Coaches to Follow in 2021." She helps people create genuine connections in their life and business by balancing new school technology with old school simplicity. Renée was recently the Co-host of Tony Robbins' and Dean Graziosi's first-ever virtual world summit, and she has signed a book deal with Morgan James to publish her first nonfiction book called Becoming a Master Communicator, which will be available in stores on January 25, 2022. A graduate of Wagner College with a degree in theater speech, Renée has spoken, performed, and been interviewed on thousands of live and virtual stages. She teaches a live workshop called "Connecting on Camera," which guides people to be their most confident, real selves on camera. She is also a stage and screen actress and was the female lead role, Mary Delgado, in the film Jersey Boys directed by Clint Eastwood, which is currently on Netflix. She has mastered countless Broadway roles over the years, including roles in Pretty Woman, West Side Story, Jersey Boys, Chaplin, Wonderland, and more. In this episode… Are you aware that imperfection is human? Are you also aware that it is a beautiful thing that should be embraced by everyone? We are all imperfect in nature and can never be perfect in everything we do. Renée Marino knows the value of being your authentic self and advises people to stop striving for perfection. She believes in taking imperfect action regardless of any fear, doubt, or concerns one may have. You don't always have to feel confident before taking action. The more you do it, the more confident you will become. Renée Marino, a Professional Communication Coach, is Andrea Heuston's guest in this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show where she talks about the value of good communication and embracing imperfection. Renée also discusses her acting career, becoming a speaker coach, and her new book, Becoming a Master Communicator. Stay tuned.

Lisa Liguori is an entrepreneur and the Owner of Liguori Management. She runs the venture capital firm in San Diego and her favorite roles are social investor and philanthropist. Although she loves to travel, home is her happy place because it is where she can be close to family and never miss a Sunday dinner. Lisa's hobbies are piloting and playing tennis. She believes her calling is running the Advice Column Podcast, where she shares life experiences from others to remind us that we aren't alone and to help accelerate our own personal growth. In this episode… Decision making is part of being a business owner and leader. You have to sit down, evaluate what you have at hand, and decide on the next steps to take. However, if you keep waiting for the best time to make a move, you may be disappointed. As a business owner or leader, it is important to grab any good opportunities you see without fear. Take the shot and iterate whenever necessary, because if you fear making a move, then you will never learn anything new. Be ready to learn from your mistakes and failures, and know that everything does not always have to be perfect. In this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show, Andrea Heuston is joined by Lisa Liguori, an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and podcast host, to talk about running a venture capital firm and investing in yourself. Lisa also explains her reasons for starting the Advice Column Podcast and the Happiness Adventure and talks about the Ski Monkey gadget. Stay tuned.

Mary Jane Pioli is the President of MJ Pioli and Company, a firm that provides executive coaching, business strategy, peer advisory, and facilitation services. As an executive coach, peer group advisory leader, and business development strategist, Mary Jane is passionate about developing conscious leaders who are happier and more effective in their organizational roles and in their lives. She collaborates with leaders to help them become more intentional about their goals and strategies and find the best ways to inspire others and implement programs, products, and services for success. Mary Jane is currently the Co-leader of the Seattle and Bellevue Chapters of the Women Presidents' Organization (WPO), a Group Leader for the peer advisory group CEO Connect, and an executive coach to managers, directors, C-suite executives, teams, and professional service firm partners. She has enjoyed running her business for the past several years after earning a coaching certification degree and spending the first 15 plus years of her career in the corporate environment. She left the country and traveled for a year through Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, harnessing her type A personality, which allowed her a successful re-entry into the world of business and motherhood. In this episode… To become a better leader, it is important that you learn how to listen, be present, and speak up. This is what Mary Jane Pioli learned from one of her mentors while working in the corporate world. You don't always have to solve every problem on your own, and it is important that you learn how to take a break and relax. Creating a space between allows you to stop worrying and know that the most important thing is taking the first step when you don't know what the future holds. It helps you work on yourself, avoid burnout, live a happier life, and become a better leader. It helps you learn how to be! In this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show, Andrea Heuston interviews Mary Jane Pioli, the President of MJ Pioli and Company, about executive coaching and helping leaders become happier and more efficient. They also talk about toxic positivity, empowering and serving other leaders, and how Mary Jane leads like a woman. Stay tuned.

Sari Davidson is the Owner, Founder, and CEO of BooginHead. What she built in her kitchen in 2005 has grown into a globally distributed brand of stylish baby essentials trusted by parents around the world to keep their babies safe, comforted, and soothed. With innovation and drive, BooginHead has claimed and maintained its space in the hyper-competitive juvenile market industry next to giants such as Munchkin, Newbie, and Dr. Brown's. Sari and the company have been recognized as Puget Sound Business Journal's Fastest-Growing Business and as a 2020 Innovator of the Year, Fortune's Most Powerful Woman Entrepreneur, Babble's Top 50 Mompreneurs, and as a Finalist for The Nellie Cashman Award. Sari has been featured on HuffPost, The Wall Street Journal, LadyBossBlogger, Medium, Inc., and 425 Business Magazine as their powerhouse entrepreneur who is changing the business landscape in Washington state. In this episode… If you are an entrepreneur and have been struggling to work on two or more business ideas at the same time, then you are sitting on two toilet seats at the same time. When you do that, you fail to give each idea the attention it needs and cannot complete it to your best ability. Most entrepreneurs tend to work on many business ideas at once — and this can have a negative effect on their efforts. Sari Davidson found herself doing this while simultaneously working at Microsoft and managing a growing business. After some time, she realized that she had to let go of one to put her whole heart in the other. In this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show, Andrea Heuston is joined by Sari Davidson, the Owner, Founder, and CEO of BooginHead, to talk about managing life and a growing business. Sari explains the process of starting her own business, how working full time at Microsoft helped her to bootstrap the business, and how she juggles a professional career with motherhood. Stay tuned.

Tracy Deforge is the Founder and CEO of The Players' Impact, a venture platform for professional athletes. As an attorney by training, an entrepreneur in spirit, and an executive leader through experience, Tracy's career has focused in the sports industry on startup companies, technology offerings, and pioneering business initiatives. Tracy has been starting, growing, and selling companies for over 20 years. After earning her J.D. at Seton Hall University, she worked for the National Hockey League and then Major League Baseball Advanced Media, and was a Partner in the first of its kind venture investment firm focused on companies that intersect sports, technology, and media entertainment. She has two children, is a six-time marathon finisher, a secondary black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and a 2018 Haymakers for Hope fighter. In this episode… When women are empowered, happy, and rise to positions of power, families end up happier and companies become more successful. For Tracy Deforge, leading like a woman means leading in a way that lifts up others. You have to create your own path — think outside the box and don't look for a blueprint. One of the best pieces of advice Tracy has received is to never let a bad minute mean a bad life. To live a good life, you have to define yourself and not base your journey on a blueprint or some bad moments. You have to get back up and make a decision to create a more meaningful and valuable life for yourself. In this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show, Andrea Heuston interviews Tracy Deforge, the Founder and CEO of The Players' Impact, about her work in supporting athletes through her organization. Tracy explains why she founded The Players' Impact and talks about how she empowers others as a board member of the USA Team Handball and the National Women's Soccer League Players Association. Plus, Tracy shares how we can all take action to spark change. Stay tuned.

Trish Blackwell is a confidence coach and the Founder of The College of Confidence. She is an expert at empowering people to get past self-doubt, overcome self-limiting beliefs, and perform at their highest levels. She is a confidence coach to Olympic athletes, Ironman champions, CEOs, high-achieving entrepreneurs, and cultural influencers. Trish is an author, wife, mom, surfer, snowboarder, runner, and Ironman triathlete. She is also the host of The Confidence Podcast, a top-rated podcast for self-improvement. She has been featured by TLC, Entrepreneur, and Elite Daily as one of the top confidence coaches in the world. She specializes in helping high achievers think with more power, clarity, and belief. In this episode… Having self-doubt is part of being human, and failing to embrace this is the reason why many people suffer from imposter syndrome. Overthinking causes these feelings which, in the long term, drive people to perfectionism — and this can take a toll on their happiness. Overthinking amplifies your self-doubt and makes it louder than your beliefs, and you end up sidelining yourself and losing your self-confidence. As a confidence coach, Trish Blackwell gets to work with many women who struggle with their confidence. She helps them see that their value lies in who they are and not what they do. She advises them to be brave and avoid trying to be perfect. Trish also believes in the power of embracing failure, disappointments, and being vulnerable. No one knows everything, and life is about learning from your mistakes and showing up. In this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show, Andrea Heuston interviews Trish Blackwell, a Confidence Coach and the Founder of The College of Confidence, about how she helps women build confidence, achieve their life's purpose, and live boldly. Trish also talks about The College of Confidence, the importance of failure and not caring what others think, and how she deals with imposter syndrome. Stay tuned.

Marina Byezhanova is a Soviet-born, Ukraine-raised, and Canada-based entrepreneur, whose goal is to scale the reach of people's voices. Growing up, she experienced what it was like to not have a voice. Her life's mission is to inspire people to own their narrative. As Co-founder of a personal branding agency called Brand of a Leader, Marina has been quoted and referenced in publications such as Inc., Forbes, Fast Company, Success Magazine, Wall Street Journal, and The Financial Post. She has spoken to audiences of entrepreneurs and business executives in North America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Marina is a proud member of Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) and is presently the Canadian Social Media Expert serving on the regional board of directors. In this episode… Marina Byezhanova, a serial entrepreneur, lives her life and builds her businesses centered around authenticity. She believes in the power of being yourself, being unique, and accepting who you are. However, this was not always the case. When Marina moved to Canada from Ukraine, she wanted to fit in with the young people in her new environment. She changed her lifestyle, way of dressing, and even her hairstyle just to fit in. However, she later realized that she was unique — and fitting in was not as important as she thought. Marina went on to start and build three companies and always ensured that she focused on authenticity, the companies' culture, and core values, even if at times she lost clients because of that. In this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show, Andrea Heuston is joined by Marina Byezhanova, the Co-founder of Brand of a Leader, to discuss the importance of being an authentic leader. They also talk about the importance of building a business around a culture, being guided by core values, and why entrepreneurs should understand their 'why' for going into business.

Jennifer Rotner is the Founder and CEO of Elite Creative and its companies, Elite Editing and Elite Authors. Elite is a woman-owned, full-service content and publishing services firm that offers editorial, writing, and creative support for companies of all sizes, from small businesses and nonprofit organizations to Fortune 500 companies, as well as for independent authors at every stage of the publishing journey. Elite has a team of more than 225 people worldwide, including both full-time staff and freelance writers and editors who have all worked remotely since the business began. Jennifer has won several business awards including the Stevie Award for Best Website and the Daily Record's Most Admired CEO Award. In 2021, Elite made the Inc. 5000 List of the Fastest Growing Companies in the US. Jennifer lives in Baltimore, Maryland with her husband, son, and 18 chickens. In this episode… How resilient are you as a business owner or leader? How patient and persistent are you in growing and scaling your business, despite all the challenges you face? In order to create sustainable growth for your business, those are some of the key skills you need. You cannot afford to give up when hard times hit. Jennifer Rotner believes in the power of having a supportive community that will hold your hand and offer advice whenever you feel overwhelmed. You should also think about the long-term growth of your business and avoid concentrating on quick wins that tend to be short-lived. Your future, the future of your business, and the future of your team depend on it. In this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show, Andrea Heuston interviews Jennifer Rotner, the Founder and CEO of Elite Creative, about how being resilient and patient can help you create value from tragedy. Jennifer shares the story behind the founding of her two businesses and explains how she grew them to make it to the Inc. 5000 list. She also talks about helping authors with editing and the benefits of being part of a community. Stay tuned.

Tracey Warren is a Community and Engagement Specialist and the Founder and CEO of InSpark Coworking, a collaborative workspace for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and remote workers. She is known as the connection queen and shows women entrepreneurs how to create amazing content that can help build a thriving community with ease. Tracey is also an author, truth-teller, community creator, and authentic speaker. She is a bold example of how authenticity and vulnerability can be a huge asset for entrepreneurs who want to build community. Whatever trail she blazes and every journey she travels, including her recent victory over breast cancer, she shows up fully as herself. She wants you to know that you can too. In this episode… For someone who has built successful businesses, Tracey Warren knows that it is okay not to care what other people think. She also knows how important it is to understand yourself and the people you serve. However, this does not come easily for most people — especially women. They fail to realize that being leaders sometimes requires them to make independent decisions without worrying about what others say or think. It is perfectly okay not to agree with everybody. Tracey advises women to give themselves permission not to care what other people think and to be comfortable with who they are. In this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show, Andrea Heuston interviews Tracey Warren, the Founder and CEO of InSpark Coworking, to talk about building an engaging community and creating value your way. Tracey also talks about her Ignite Your Champions business, her new book, and her experience battling breast cancer. Stay tuned.