Brave Women at Work

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The Dream in Your Heart: Nicole Vafadari on Taking the Leap and Building Doret Consulting

2026-11-0559:42

Have you ever felt like taking a leap? Whether it was making a big change in your career, your relationships, your health, or something entirely different? I am notorious for getting to the edge of the leap and standing there in rumination and fear. I’ll share a short story to prove my point.Many years ago, I had the opportunity to spend a summer at Laval University in Montreal. If you have never gone to Montreal, go. It is so beautiful. You won’t regret it. As part of the trip, we went kayaking and hiking. At one point at the high point of the cliff, we were encouraged to leap off a side of the cliff down to the water below. We were already in bathing suits after all because of all the kayaking fun. So, I got in line and told myself I was going to do it. When it got to my turn, I stood at the edge of that cliff frozen. And guess what? I backed away and said no way. I was too afraid to take the leap. Contrary to my story, I am excited to share my conversation with Nicole Vafadari with you today. Nicole has taken a big leap in her life and started her healthcare technology company, Doret Consulting. As you will hear, Nicole and I had a blast chatting together and there were a lot of laughs and learnings about change, knowing when to stay and when to quit, the idea of balancing it all, and more. What I especially loved about this conversation is Nicole’s authenticity. What you see and hear is what you get. If you are seeking encouragement to just go for the thing in your life, whatever that may be, listen into this conversation.Here is more about Nicole:Nicole Vafadari is the Founder & CEO of Doret Consulting, where her entrepreneurial vision met a deep expertise in both business strategy and IT. Doret Consulting was formed after years of working inside healthcare organizations where technology decisions were often made without enough connection to operations, teams, or patient impact. Doret Consulting was created to change that experience.Doret Consulting is changing the game in healthcare because Nicole is the kind of leader who can talk digital strategy with marketers one minute and dive into IT infrastructure the next. With a foot in both worlds, she’s built a career around bridging gaps, streamlining systems, and helping teams actually hit their goals on time and with intention. From leading ecommerce rollouts to fine-tuning CRM setups, Nicole knows how to make tech work for the business, not the other way around. She’s data-driven but people-focused, always looking for ways to connect departments and align on what really matters: smart growth, clear communication, and results that speak for themselves.Before we begin, please be sure to share this show with a family member, friend or colleague. As you know, your ratings and reviews help this show to gain traction and continue to grow. Thank you if you have already left a review.Also, if you haven’t downloaded one of my freebies on my site, check them out on bravewomenatwork.com. I have 5 Ways to Managing Imposter Phenomenon, 34 Leadership and Career Affirmations, and 10 tips to Win Your Next Negotiation. Download one or them or all three!If you also have a story to share and a deep desire to become an author, please contact me at [email protected]. I am happy to share the details on the project. Alright, let’s welcome Nicole to the show!

Cracking the Corporate Performance Code: Ghenn Weeks on Burnout, Bias, and Getting Your True Self Back

2026-10-2949:03

What if there is a secret performance code at work and in the corporate world that no one told you about? And unless you figure it out (or find the decoder ring at the bottom of a Cracker Jack box), you won’t do as well?This concept blew my mind and made me wonder, “What if the game is rigged?” “What if many work environments are not made for women to succeed?” I have told this story on the podcast a few times, but it bears repeating. Years ago, one of my male colleagues said he loved working with me. I was flattered but curious, so I asked why. He said, “Pestikas, working with you is like working with a dude.” I had contorted and twisted myself so thoroughly that I forgot I was female. I think I was learning to crack the performance code, but I lost myself in the process. The question is, “Can we succeed while rising above the performance code requirement?”My guest today, Ghenn Weeks, is the founder of the Corporate Performance Code, and she really opened my mind that there may be an undertone to all this corporate business after all. During the podcast, we also chatted about:How women know which behavior are theirs vs. what they have taught to perform in a system that wasn’t built for them?What is the Personal Adaptive Tax?How men and women are evaluated differently during performance reviews, and how we can talk more about our potential vs. just past performance?What are the costs of succeeding in the Corporate Performance CodeTM?What are the signs that we are fraying or losing ourselves inside the code? Can we get our truest selves back?Here is more about Ghenn:Ghennipher Weeks is a fractional CMO and creator of the Corporate Performance CodeTM, a system that exposes the unspoken rules shaping how success is measured and rewarded in corporate environments. With more than 25 years leading marketing strategy, building teams, and overseeing multi-million-dollar budgets, she has operated at the executive level long enough to see that what gets labeled as a “confidence problem” is often something far more systemic.She brings a sharp, experience-backed perspective on how women are conditioned to perform, why they are evaluated differently than their male counterparts, and how those patterns quietly shape leadership behavior at every level. Her work challenges high-achieving women to stop over-correcting within a system that was never designed for them and instead understand the code they’ve been operating inside.Ghennipher offers a candid, thought-provoking look at what it really takes to navigate corporate leadership without losing identity, credibility, or self-trust along the way.Before we begin, please be sure to share this show with a family member, friend or colleague. As you know, your ratings and reviews help this show to gain traction and continue to grow. Thank you if you have already left a review.Also, if you haven’t downloaded one of my freebies on my site, check them out on bravewomenatwork.com. I have 5 Ways to Managing Imposter Phenomenon, 34 Leadership and Career Affirmations, and 10 tips to Win Your Next Negotiation. Download one or them or all three!If you also have a story to share and a deep desire to become an author, please contact me at [email protected]. I am happy to share the details on the project. Alright, let’s welcome Ghenn to the show!

Presence Over Achievement: Nida Leard on Redefining Success Through Relationships

2026-10-2257:50

When I was growing up, I didn’t see my parents have a lot of friends over at our house. We were working a lot and were a tight, insulated family unit. Also, it didn’t help that I was a bit of a misfit and a loner. I was in the “nerd herd” in middle school and was a wallflower at dances. Remember 7th and 8th grade dances? As a side bar, does anyone remember the song Lady in Red? Look it up if you don’t. It’s all cringe. The point of all of this is that I didn’t understand the power of community. I thought if I wanted to do things right, I did them on my own. It wasn’t until I was in my twenties and beyond that I realized how important friends would be in my life. After all, my friends are my chosen family. My guest today, Nida Leard, founded her company IRL or In Real Life. During our conversation, Nida told me how our relationships impact how we lead in every area of our lives.During the podcast, we also chatted about:The story behind Nida’s company, IRLHow did Nida build her network as an introvert? What tips does she have to build their tribes if it isn’t natural for them?Why do high achievers struggle building relationships, and what can they do about it?How do our relationship patterns show up in all areas of our lives?How does IRL’s work translate from the boardroom to the bedroom?How does working on our personal and professional relationships help us with our leadership skills?How is relationship building the new definition of success?Here is more about Nida:Nida Leardprasopsuk is a Master Certified Coach (ICF) and systems-oriented practitioner working at the intersection of identity, relationships, leadership, and human systems. With over two decades of experience spanning business, psychology, and personal transformation, she supports high-performing individuals, leaders, and changemakers in creating alignment across career, relationships, family, leadership, and self. Grounded in the belief that human challenges are systemic—what shows up in the boardroom often mirrors what shows up in intimacy, family dynamics, boundaries, confidence, and self-worth—Nida helps clients transform at the identity and relational level so change naturally ripples into every area of life. Her background includes executive and leadership coaching, couples and family systems work, sex therapy, identity reinvention, and organizational culture, enabling her to translate insights across contexts in a way that is both deeply practical and profoundly human. She is also the license holder and organizer of TEDxThonglorWomen, where she curates conversations on identity, relationships, power, and societal change.Before we begin, please be sure to share this show with a family member, friend or colleague. As you know, your ratings and reviews help this show to gain traction and continue to grow. Thank you if you have already left a review.Also, if you haven’t downloaded one of my freebies on my site, check them out on bravewomenatwork.com. I have 5 Ways to Managing Imposter Phenomenon, 34 Leadership and Career Affirmations, and 10 tips to Win Your Next Negotiation. Download one or them or all three!If you also have a story to share and a deep desire to become an author, please contact me at [email protected]. I am happy to share the details on the project. Alright, let’s welcome Nida to the show!

Confidence Creates Opportunity: Jazzlyn Feliciano on Five Conversations Every Emerging Leader Needs

2026-10-1553:08

Are you ready for a cup of espresso? My conversation with guest, Jazzlyn Feliciano, was like a strong cup of joe and a motivational shot in the arm. Jazzlyn was so inspiring to me because she has a “go for it” attitude, which I love. Our discussion also challenged me because I can often get lost in self-doubt and Imposter Syndrome, which I know so many of you and others can relate to. While Jazzlyn faces her own fair share of Imposter Syndrome, she has some wonderful wisdom to share of how to manage it. During our conversation, Jazzlyn and I also chatted about:1.What does betting on herself mean to Jazzlyn?2.How does confidence create opportunities? If you are short on confidence, how do you cultivate it?3.What is the strategic risk framework Jazzlyn has used personally and professionally?4.What are five conversations that every emerging leader needs to have?5.What is Jazzlyn’s company, Recee, and what her goal is with the fintech and app?Here is more about Jazzlyn:Jazzlyn Feliciano is an award-winning corporate leader, entrepreneur, and founder of Recee, a fintech startup reimagining how consumers understand and use their everyday purchase data. With more than a decade of experience across Wall Street and Big Four consulting, Jazzlyn has built a career at the intersection of strategy, leadership, and innovation. Beyond corporate America, she is known as “Your Corporate Big Sis,” using her platform to share the career lessons, confidence, and corporate realness she wishes she had earlier in her journey. Today, she’s bringing those same experiences into the startup world as she builds Recee from the ground up.Before we begin, please be sure to share this show with a family member, friend or colleague. As you know, your ratings and reviews help this show to gain traction and continue to grow. Thank you if you have already left a review.Also, if you haven’t downloaded one of my freebies on my site, check them out on bravewomenatwork.com. I have 5 Ways to Managing Imposter Phenomenon, 34 Leadership and Career Affirmations, and 10 tips to Win Your Next Negotiation. Download one or them or all three!If you also have a story to share and a deep desire to become an author, please contact me at [email protected]. I am happy to share the details on the project. Alright, let’s welcome Jazzlyn to the show!

From Burnout to Breakthrough: Christina Woods on Hypnotherapy, EMDR, and Healing Your Own Way

2026-10-0801:00:55

I have no idea what’s happening to me. I guess we will do anything for our kids. During our conversation, we also chatted about:The situation that drove Christina to seek change and healing in her lifeWhat contributed to her autoimmune diseases and the end of her marriageHow too much responsibility contributes to toxic work patternsWhat modalities Christina used in her healing journeyWhat EMDR is and what drove Christina to get certified in hypnotherapy?Here is more about Christina:Christina L. Woods is an internationally recognized Clinical Hypnotherapist, subconscious transformation expert, and former corporate executive who helps high-functioning, successful individuals resolve the quiet disconnect between their outer success and inner experience. With over three decades of corporate leadership experience and a global private practice, Christina works with accomplished women and high-level professionals around the world who have done the therapy, mindset work, and personal development — yet still feel an underlying sense of restlessness, misalignment, or emotional incongruence they can’t think their way out of.Through her signature Wise Woods Method and as the Founder of Wise Woods Hypnotherapy, Christina integrates clinical hypnotherapy, subconscious reprogramming, and energy-based healing to shift the deeper patterns that insight alone doesn’t change. Her work supports clients in feeling more settled, clear, and internally aligned — not by fixing what’s “wrong,” but by completing the internal upgrades their awareness has already initiated.Known for her ability to articulate what people intuitively sense but struggle to put into words, Christina brings depth, clarity, and grounded presence to conversations around identity, self-trust, subconscious conditioning, leadership, and real life. Her approach bridges science and spirituality in a way that is practical, intelligent, and deeply human.Before we begin, please be sure to share this show with a family member, friend or colleague. As you know, your ratings and reviews help this show to gain traction and continue to grow. Thank you if you have already left a review.Also, if you haven’t downloaded one of my freebies on my site, check them out on bravewomenatwork.com. I have 5 Ways to Managing Imposter Phenomenon, 34 Leadership and Career Affirmations, and 10 tips to Win Your Next Negotiation. Download one or them or all three!If you also have a story to share and a deep desire to become an author, please contact me at [email protected]. I am happy to share the details on the project. Alright, let’s welcome Christina to the show!

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