Leading Women in Tech Podcast

If the idea of going fractional feels exciting and terrifying at the same time — you're not alone. In this episode of Leading Women in Tech, we explore what fractional leadership really looks like for senior women who want more autonomy, impact, and alignment — without blowing up their careers. This episode is for you if: ◾You're curious about fractional work but worried about legality, stability, or time ◾You've been asked to "advise" startups or former colleagues — informally and often unpaid ◾You want meaningful, senior-level work without the full-time corporate trap ◾You're wondering if a portfolio or fractional career could be a smart next step Rather than hype or hustle culture, this conversation focuses on clarity. You'll learn: ◾What fractional leadership actually is (and what it isn't) ◾The three most common starting points women have when exploring fractional work ◾How to explore fractional leadership safely alongside a full-time role ◾The real fears women have — about contracts, confidence, pricing, and visibility — and how to address them ◾Why most fractional experiments fail (and how to avoid those mistakes) ◾How to test fractional work intentionally, without quitting or burning bridges This episode is not about deciding everything today. It's about understanding what's possible — so you can make your next move with confidence. 🎯 Next step: If this episode resonates and you'd like to talk through your own fractional career options, you can book a complimentary strategy session with me to design your own fractional career right here: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule/64a6bd61/appointment/86825111/calendar/3066450?appointmentTypeIds[]=86825111

What does it really take to lead in a male-dominated industry — and build an AI-driven company grounded in trust, ethics, and human impact? In this episode of Leading Women in Tech, I'm joined by Shelley Copsey, CEO & Co-Founder of FYLD — a fast-growing, AI-powered platform transforming how frontline teams in infrastructure and utilities make decisions, stay safe, and improve productivity in real time. Shelley brings over 20 years of experience at the intersection of physical infrastructure, digital innovation, AI strategy, and human transformation, and she shares powerful insights on navigating self-doubt, being underestimated, scaling ethically with AI, and leading teams through rapid change. If you're a woman in tech, an aspiring executive, or a leader navigating AI transformation, this conversation will elevate how you think about leadership, trust, and impact. In This Episode, You'll Learn: ⏹ How Shelley went from underestimated early-career consultant to award-winning CEO ⏹ Why traditional male leadership role models don't work for women — and how she found her own executive presence ⏹ The mindset that helped her secure a CEO role during the height of COVID ⏹ How she builds trust as a CEO — and why hiring with a "presumption of trust" changes everything ⏹ What ethical AI looks like in high-stakes environments (safety, field operations, human risk) ⏹ Why leaders must reimagine every role in the AI era (customer success, operations, engineering & beyond) ⏹ How to bring teams along when they resist AI ⏹ What self-doubt looks like at the CEO level — and how Shelley manages it with clarity and compassion ⏹ The best leadership advice she's ever received (and the worst!) **Useful links** ⏹ Connect with today's guest, Shelley: ⏹ Web: https://fyld.ai/ ⏹ Shelley's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelleycopsey/ This episode was supported by Shelley Copsey, CEO of FYLD. Thank you Shelley for helping to bring Leading Women in Tech to this community!

Discover how to take charge of your career with a proactive leadership roadmap for 2026. Reflect on past experiences to identify what drained you and what worked. Learn the importance of defining your North Star and recognizing gaps in skills and visibility. Toni introduces a five-pillar framework to focus your efforts and emphasizes the power of a stop list to enhance your leadership capacity. Finally, she provides strategies to turn your roadmap into actionable steps for sustained progress and personal growth.

In today's episode, we're going deep into one of the most urgent leadership topics of 2025: cybersecurity, AI risk, and the new era of digital trust. This is no longer a technical issue — it's a leadership issue. I'm joined by Karen Kaukol, Chief Marketing Officer at Entrust, a global leader in identity, security, and trust. Karen brings decades of experience across global payments, financial services, and technology, including senior leadership roles at First Data and Graebel Relocation. Karen has a unique superpower: she translates complex cybersecurity and AI challenges into clear, actionable insight for business leaders. Together, we explore: ⏹ How AI is reshaping cybersecurity — fast ⏹ Why trust is now the #1 competitive advantage for every company ⏹ What leaders (not just CISOs) must understand about AI agents inside their systems ⏹ The new expectations boards have around cybersecurity risk ⏹ Why high performers need to adopt AI tools, not avoid them ⏹ How marketing and communications are being transformed by AI ⏹ How to build a culture of trust, resilience, and cross-functional alignment ⏹ What it really means to lead through a cybersecurity crisis If you're a senior leader or aspiring executive — especially a woman in tech — this episode will help you build literacy in AI governance, cybersecurity strategy, digital trust, and leadership communication in an environment where the stakes have never been higher. About Karen Kaukol Karen Kaukol is the Chief Marketing Officer at Entrust, leading global marketing, brand, and strategy across a company at the forefront of identity, trust, and security innovation. She previously served as CMO at Graebel Relocation and spent 17 years at First Data (now Fiserv) in senior global marketing leadership roles. She holds an MBA from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor's degree from Indiana University. Connect with Karen and Entrust: ⏹ https://www.entrust.com/ ⏹ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenkaukol/ This episode was sponsored by our guest, Karen Kaukol. Thank you Karen for helping to bring Leading Women in Tech to this community!

If you're ending the year exhausted, mentally overloaded, or stuck in a spiral of self-doubt… this episode is your reset. In today's conversation, we're breaking down the inner critic, the mental load of leadership, and why high-performing women struggle most with overthinking, decision paralysis, and confidence dips at this time of year. You'll learn self-coaching techniques for leaders, practical executive mindset tools, and the exact thought-reframing strategies I use with my clients to help them create clarity before burnout makes the decisions for them. Because you don't need more confidence going into 2026 — you need more clarity. And this episode will help you build it. What You'll Learn in This Episode ⏹ Why your inner critic gets louder during year-end cycles ⏹ How burnout affects clarity, decision making, and self-trust ⏹ The neuroscience behind overthinking (and how to interrupt it) ⏹ Self-coaching techniques for leaders you can use right away ⏹ Thought reframing for executives: how to shift fear-based thoughts ⏹ The Neutral Question Reset ⏹ The Thought Ladder Reframe ⏹ The Executive Decision Filter ⏹ How to create decision-making clarity at leadership levels ⏹ The mindset shifts required to lead with confidence in 2026 ⏹ Why clarity → confidence (not the other way around) ⏹ How to prepare your leadership thinking before planning next year ​​Free Leadership Resources Say It Like a Leader Scripts → tonicollis.com/sayitlikealeader Promotion Readiness Scorecard → tonicollis.com/scorecard Self-Coaching Toolkit (coming soon!) Connect With Toni LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tonicollis Website: tonicollis.com

Career stagnation isn't caused by a lack of talent — it's caused by the wrong strategy. If you're a high-performing woman in tech who's STILL feeling stuck (despite delivering more than everyone around you), this episode is going to hit home. In today's conversation, Master Executive Coach Dr. Toni Collis breaks down why you're overperforming but overlooked, why hard work stops working at senior levels, and how brilliant women end up trapped in career stagnation even when they're doing everything "right." You'll learn: ✨ Why you're not getting promoted (even with exceptional performance) ✨ The 4 hidden barriers behind feeling stuck at work ✨ How overperformance creates the Invisible Leader trap ✨ Why leadership visibility matters more than output ✨ The difference between proving your value vs positioning yourself as a leader ✨ The 5 strategic levers that actually get women promoted ✨ How to know if you've outgrown your leadership strategy ✨ What to do next if you're ready to break your career plateau If you've been Googling things like "why am I not getting promoted?", "career plateau," or "how to get noticed at work," this episode will give you the clarity and direction you've been missing. If This Episode Spoke to You… You're not stuck because you're not good enough. You're stuck because you've outgrown your old strategy. And that means you're closer to your next level than you think. Make sure you're here next week for our special pre-2026 Episode — Silencing the Inner Critic: Rewiring Your Mindset for 2026 Confidence. We'll dive into how to shift your self-talk, build unshakeable confidence, and finally stop overthinking your way out of the opportunities you deserve.

Feeling unheard at work? Uncover the neuroscience behind why great ideas often go unnoticed. Explore four dynamics that stifle leadership voices and learn the Outcome–Process–Ask framework to ensure your message lands. Discover how calming your nervous system can shift perceptions and enhance your authority. Plus, get tips on reverse listening to foster psychological safety and model trust in your team. If you’re in a workplace resistant to change, reflect on your next steps and ensure you’re seen, heard, and respected.

Nicole Bugenske, Vice President and Practice Director at Robert Half, dives into the evolving tech job market. She reveals how AI is influencing hiring practices, from the rise of fake resumes to the importance of authentic networking on LinkedIn. Nicole shares insights on the trend of quiet hiring and how risk-averse employers are reshaping candidate profiles. She emphasizes the need for personal touches in resumes and encourages candidates to confidently stand out in a flooded market. Plus, hear her take on the future of tech leadership and candidate visibility.

http://tonicollis.com/how-to-prioritize-work-to-get-promoted/If your calendar is overflowing but your career feels stuck, this episode is for you. You're not alone in the busyness trap. For so many high-achieving women in tech, doing more has always felt like the way to get ahead — but it's not what gets you promoted. In this episode of the Leading Women in Tech Podcast, we're unpacking the truth behind prioritizing impactful work, the hidden gap between performance and promotion, and how to build the kind of executive presence that actually gets noticed. If you're ready to stop being the go-to person for everything and start focusing on what truly shifts your career — this episode will show you how to lead smarter, not harder. 🔗 Take the free Promotion Readiness Scorecard. Wondering if your work is getting you noticed for the next level? → tonicollis.com/scorecard 💬 Want tailored support? → Book a strategy call with Toni: tonicollis.com/lets-chat 🛠️ Tools & Concepts from the Episode: ◾The CEO Filter — Would the CEO care if I did this? ◾The 90-Day Question — Will this matter in 3 months? ◾The 15-Minute Weekly Priority Reset — Realign your leadership each week ◾The Impact Multiplier — From busy to visible

How do you lead with impact—before you ever get the title? In this episode, I sit down with Michele Doyle, VP of Data & Analytics at Senos, to explore what it means to lead from the crossroads of engineering, operations, and strategy. Michele shares her unconventional journey from psychology to tech leadership, how to lead with influence before you're formally given the title, and what it takes to build trust, safety, and innovation in complex teams—especially in non-obvious tech spaces like fermentation. You'll hear about: ◾How to step into strategic leadership without the title ◾The underestimated power of cross-functional influence ◾Creating psychological safety and generous leadership ◾Real-world AI adoption (in the brewing industry!) ◾Why emotional regulation is the unsung skill of great leaders Whether you're an emerging tech leader or a seasoned exec looking to build empowered teams, this episode will help you lead with confidence, clarity, and real influence. **Useful links** Connect with today's guest and sponsor, Michele Doyle from Sennos: ◾https://sennos.com/ and Michele's ◾LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doylemichele/ Michele's current read: The Murder Bot Series by Martha Wells and Your AI Survival Guide by Sol Rashidi This episode was sponsored by our guest, Michele Doyle, and Sennos. Thank you Michele and Sennos for helping to bring Leading Women in Tech to this community!