Lead Like a Woman

Emily Drake is the CEO of The Collective Academy, a leadership development firm working with global organizations. With decades of experience in counseling, coaching, and facilitation, she helps leaders and teams create cultures that foster community, purpose, and well-being. Emily produces and leads programs for professional services and nonprofit organizations, supporting entrepreneurial thinkers, creators, and leaders to envision the future. As a mental health clinician, she hosts the Who's Missing podcast, which explores the stories and perspectives of people from diverse backgrounds. In this episode… Every high-reaching leader has a personal growth story. Whether originating from trauma or accomplishments, these anecdotes facilitate meaningful connections. Learn about the impact of community on personal and professional development from an esteemed mental health expert. According to therapist Emily Drake, the most effective way of discovering your identity is through connection and community. These facilitation groups should include a humanitarian leader who can make decisions and support and appreciate other members. However, leaders need support too, so Emily says to cultivate relationships with other high-achieving women and diverse individuals to advocate for you and help you attain your next endeavor. In today's installment of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Andrea Heuston welcomes her guest Emily Drake, the CEO of The Collective Academy, to discuss discovering yourself through high-achieving leadership and support. Emily shares the importance of honesty and self-acceptance, how she establishes personal development programs, and why she decided to interview her mother on her podcast.

Jane Frankel is the Managing Partner of The Art of Performance, which provides business education services to help organizations develop and grow through customer and partner relationships. As an Adjunct Professor of Economics at Temple University, she oversees project-based internships and corporate partnerships. Jane is a member of the Entrepreneurs' Forum in Greater Philadelphia, an advisory board member for Temple University's Center for Regional Economics, and a member of the Middle Market Steering Committee for the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. In this episode… Women have a competitive advantage in today's corporate environment, with businesses dependent on their autonomy and authoritative decision-making. However, to become leaders, women must discover and own their strengths. How can you harness your mindset to boost performance? With a versatile career in education and innovation, Jane Frankel has identified four components of mindset: goals, values, beliefs, and work styles. Once you've established these elements, you can align them by observing and recording your behaviors and reactions. Gaining full control of your mindset lets you assess opportunities effectively to propel your personal and professional life. Tune in to this episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show as host Andrea Heuston sits down with Jane Frankel, The Art of Performance's Managing Partner, to discuss the fundamentals of mindset. Jane breaks down the difference between mindset and mindfulness, her definition of women in leadership, and how to identify your five "whys."

Brandi Marek is a Business Advisor at Ferguson Alliance, which helps family businesses increase their value. As a second-generation family business leader, she helps leaders and owners assess their companies by aligning organizational structure, strategies, and finances with family goals. Before joining Ferguson Alliance, Brandi held leadership and management roles at Magnolia Gardens Nursery, a family-owned business. In this episode… Leaders in family businesses often face an overwhelming sense of obligation to uphold familial expectations. How can you maintain relationships to build a thriving inter-generational company? In a family-owned company, many members struggle to differentiate between work and relatives. As a former second-generation daughter-in-law in a family business, Brandi Marek simultaneously faced judgment for her role in the company and a duty to preserve the family legacy, causing her to develop imposter syndrome. Having become an advisor, she encourages families to communicate with each other by identifying their needs and goals, maintaining honesty, and clarifying expectations. Join Andrea Heuston in this episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show as she hosts Brandi Marek, a Business Advisor at Ferguson Alliance, who talks about reconciling expectations and commitments in family businesses. Brandi shares her transition from an executive assistant to the manager of a family business, how her role as a daughter-in-law impacted her business relationships, and her desire to become a consultant.

Claire Chandler is the Founder, President, and CEO of Talent Boost, which helps businesses assess and accelerate growth. With 30 years of experience in people, leadership, human resources, and business ownership, she helps organizations achieve strategic alignment and culture integration. As a strategic partner and leadership advisor, Claire helps purpose-driven CHROs (chief human resources officers) of large organizations navigate growth through mergers and acquisitions. She is also a Keynote Speaker at the Call for Culture Speaker's Network. In this episode… Women in management positions often conform to corporate culture, emulating the leadership styles of male CEOs and suppressing visibility to avoid conflict and confrontation. How can you own your authority and inspire others to follow you? While serving as the vice president of HR at a leading corporation, Claire Chandler's boss requested that she adjust her walk to avoid seeming overly confident. After burning out from an unfulfilling career, Claire uncovered and pursued her passions. Aspiring women leaders must discover and display their hidden strengths and stay true to their values and beliefs. This inspires uniqueness, authenticity, and confidence. On today's episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Andrea Heuston welcomes Claire Chandler, the Founder, President, and CEO of Talent Boost, who shares her journey of discovering her leadership style. Claire explains the value of fulfilling work, why she left the corporate space to become an entrepreneur, and why women must own their walks.

Michelle LaBrosse, PMP, CCPM, RYT, is the Founder and Head PMP Exam Prep Coach at Cheetah Learning, which offers accelerated exam preparation for the PMP (project management professional) test. In 2008, the Project Management Institute (PMI) recognized Cheetah as the Professional Development Provider of the Year. The institution also selected Michelle as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in Project Management in the World. She is also the author of Cheetah Negotiations, Cheetah Project Management, and Cheetah Know How, and her articles have appeared in over 1,000 publications globally. In this episode… Women are often perceived as control freaks, dictating others to complete tasks under specific terms. Rather, these determined individuals become frustrated when attempting to oversee a project through completion. Learn how to gauge your capabilities and capacity from an entrepreneur who has mastered accelerated learning. As a Certified PMP (project management professional) and coach, Michelle LaBrosse has developed holistic and integrated courses instructing participants on project management and advanced goal completion. She emphasizes the value of training your brain to absorb knowledge through healthy eating, neuro-linguistic programming, and exercise. Whether undertaking a new business venture or completing a certification, assess your capabilities to develop practical objectives and maintain a high level of focus. On the latest episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Andrea Heuston invites Michelle LaBrosse, the Founder of Cheetah Learning, to discuss accelerated project completion. Michelle shares an overview of a PMP, how she persevered during her first entrepreneurial venture, and information about her four-day accelerated learning course.

Barbara Jo Jenkins is the author of So Long as It's Wild, which details her three-year, 3,000-mile walk across America. She also co-authored the international bestseller, The Walk West, which was chosen as one of the most influential books in American culture and became part of the permanent White House Library. As a keynote speaker at colleges, conferences, and national conventions, Barbara has appeared in various magazines, including Reader's Digest, and on national TV shows like Good Morning America. She has served as commissioner for two Tennessee Governors, Board Chair for Benton Hall Academy, and President of the Tennessee Women's Forum. In this episode… Women often face fear, stigma, and backlash from society, discouraging them from reaching their potential and living fulfilling lives. One courageous nomad recounts her journey of self-discovery and confidence, inspiring freedom of expression among women from all walks of life. Despite judgment from family and friends, self-doubt, and fear, Barbara Jenkins walked 3,000 miles across America. Having hiked the Cascades at two months pregnant during the coldest winter and survived an outlaw attack in Colorado, she discovered her strengths and weaknesses. If you want to recognize and fulfill your destiny, Barabara recommends acknowledging the fear and persisting. However, it's crucial to pace yourself in your endeavors to conserve mental, physical, and emotional energy. Tune in to this episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show as Andrea Heuston interviews renowned author Barbara Jenkins about her walk across the US. Barbara describes how her childhood in the Ozarks influenced her adventure, her book's endorsement by Dolly Parton, and how to persevere amid adversity.

Renata Merino is a motivational speaker, investor, founder, and women's advocate. As a Latina serial entrepreneur, she launched three startup businesses that focused on doubling bottom lines, investing in others, and building for the future. With 25 years of experience as an operator and investment banker, Renata is an investor and leader in the venture capitalist community. In this episode… As of the 2020s, 1,800 startups have been launched daily. Most of the founders are Latin women who have developed creative methods of supporting their families while raising their children. Yet women-owned startups are historically underfunded, so how can you support these businesses? As millennials and Gen Zs become parents, they have equalized the power structures between men and women by working and completing household tasks jointly. As a venture capitalist investing in female founders, Renata Merino says this gender role shift should apply to the corporate world, allowing women to establish credibility in a male-dominated space. By creating educational and career opportunities for women through adequate funding, you can break deeply embedded societal patterns. In today's episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, serial entrepreneur and investor Renata Merino joins Andrea Heuston to discuss how women can pave their way through male-dominated systems. Renata talks about growing up in an entrepreneurial household, how she became an investor in women-owned startups, and the rise of women launching businesses during motherhood.

Sarah Walton is the Founder of Sarah Walton Coaching, where she helps women build thriving businesses through sales and abundance strategies. As a business coach, keynote speaker, and sales expert, she has been featured on The Today Show and speaks at national conferences. Sarah spent her 15-year corporate career in New York City, where she managed a P&L worth hundreds of millions of dollars and mentored dozens of women. In this episode… Women are notorious for assuming too many responsibilities, leading to rigid decision-making. This creates the belief that women must choose between making money or pursuing their passions. How can you abolish this ideology and profit from meaningful work? Executive coach and motivational speaker Sarah Walton was raised in poverty and believed she couldn't support her family and attain happiness simultaneously. After shifting her mindset, Sarah realized she could fill a gap in the market with innovative business ideas. When launching a company to fulfill your passion, you must achieve self-acceptance and maintain honesty to discover and monetize your strengths. Join Andrea Heuston in today's episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show as she sits down with Sarah Walton, the Founder of Sarah Walton Coaching, to discuss attaining self-acceptance to profit from your passion. Sarah shares advice for maximizing your impact, her desire to become a dancer, and her multi-passionate personality.

Aimee Schuster is the CEO of Bandwidth Strategy, which offers fractional C-suite and consulting solutions to growing B2B organizations. As a skilled COO and CMO, she has over 20 years of experience coaching marketing departments on lead generation and brand awareness. Aimee is also the Founder and Co-chair of Women Influence Chicago, an organization cultivating women leaders in enterprise, startup, and nonprofit technology companies. In this episode… As remote and hybrid work become mainstream, many Gen Z women lack the experience of working in an office. This hinders opportunities to form working relationships with colleagues. If you work remotely, how can you build your social capital? For fractional integrator Aimee Schuster, working in an office has allowed her to network with peers to foster meaningful relationships and advance her career. If you're looking to shift career paths for flexibility, consider fractional integration, which allows you to execute projects for an organization on a case-by-case basis. However, this position requires a robust support network and outreach efforts to sustain social capital. Aimee advises joining networking and industry groups and following up with potential connections by providing value. In today's episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, join Andrea Heuston as she welcomes Aimee Schuster, the CEO of Bandwidth Strategy, who talks about the benefits of fractional integration and the impacts of remote work on young women. Aimee explains when to source fractional versus full-time talent, how to build social capital, and her early entrepreneurial successes.

Monica Yates is the CEO of Monica Yates Health, where she helps women tap into their core feminine desires and live their dream lives. As a trauma healer and feminine-masculine embodiment coach, she utilizes embodiment, subconscious reprogramming, somatic work, and other modalities to help women break their trauma cycles. Monica is also the host of the Feminine As F*ck Podcast and has been featured in Vogue, Glamour, and other fashion magazines. In this episode… Through long-standing beliefs and embedded traumas, women are programmed to either fear masculinity or reject femininity in favor of it. In a business environment, this manifests as a lack of structure, leading to burnout. How can you reconcile these identities to tap into your full potential? After battling health issues and negative experiences with men, Monica Yates began subconsciously behaving like a man to thrive in the corporate world. Yet people need feminine energy to experience happiness, love, and pleasure and masculine energy to feel safe and strong. So Monica discovered that by integrating both masculine and feminine identities, you can cultivate harmony in your work. Monica also advises evaluating your needs and listening to your body. In this episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Andrea Heuston sits down with Monica Yates, the CEO of Monica Yates Health, to delve into the connection between masculinity and femininity. Monica also discusses the importance of finding fulfillment in your job and allocating your energy, her upcoming book on the feminist movement, and how women can assess their needs.