Shows
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality061: Dr. Wende Logan-Young: When Good Ideas Get Rejected at WorkWhat if the answer to your idea is no, but the idea itself is not the problem?Dr. Wende Logan-Young saw a gap in the care that patients could receive in cases of Breast Cancer screening and Mammography. But when she could not change the established approach from inside her organization, she found another way. Her story stayed with Sandra because it points to something many of us have experienced at work: seeing what could be better and running into resistance from people who do not see the same need.Sandra and Annette explore the moment a...
2026-10-2232 minCareer Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality060: Who Will Step In? The Responsibility to Recognize, Interrupt, and Respond to HarmWhat does stepping in actually look like when someone is in danger, or when someone trusts you enough to tell you they have been harmed?Sometimes it looks like two students who refuse to walk past something wrong. Sometimes it looks like a stranger who sits beside someone at the hospital, without trying to take control. And sometimes it is a colleague who calmly says, “That was Sandra’s idea,” when a woman’s contribution is overlooked.Sandra Wint and Annette Garsteck ask what changes when responsibility moves beyond the person harmed. How do we listen without...
2026-10-1530 minCareer Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality059: When Silence Enables Harm: Culture, Power, and Speaking UpThe joke everyone laughs off. The colleague someone quietly warns you not to meet alone. The talented employee who walks away because saying why feels riskier than leaving. What do those moments have in common?They help teach a group what is normal.Sandra and Annette ask a harder question than whether an organization has rules: Who gets to define acceptable behavior, and what happens to the people who challenge it? From a kindergarten lesson about peer pressure to the uncomfortable realities of speaking up at work, the conversation traces the gap between knowing something is wrong...
2026-10-0932 minCareer Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality058: Who Does the System Protect? When Harm Meets PowerWhat does a system reveal when serious harm is reported? Not only through the policy it follows, but throughwho is asked to absorb the disruption that follows.Using the recent allegations involving a former Cornell student as a starting point, Sandra and Annetteexamine universities, law enforcement, workplaces, healthcare, and culture as different systems withdifferent responsibilities and different forms of power. The question that stays with them is the oneunderneath the procedures: whose future becomes most important, and who is left carrying the financial,professional, emotional, and physical consequences?This is the first conversation in a three-part...
2026-10-0531 minCareer Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality057: Who Are You When You Don't Have to Perform?What if the things people once told you to tone down are some of the clearest clues to who you actually are?Sandra and Annette usually talk careers, leadership, growth, and the hidden realities underneath them. This time, they turn the questions on themselves. The result starts with pasta, sharp pencils, comfort rituals, introversion, books, and dogs, then quietly becomes a conversation about authenticity, natural strengths, respectful disagreement, and the people who give us enough room to be fully ourselves.One of the most telling moments comes when Annette imagines what her ten-year-old self would find...
2026-10-0135 minCareer Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality056: How Do You Know A Coach Is Right For You?You’ve decided you need outside support. Maybe you’ve even decided coaching is the right place to start. Now comes another question: How do you know which coach is right for you?A coach can look perfect on paper and still not be the person you can actually grow with.Sandra and Annette explore what happens after you decide to seek help, from identifying the problem you want to solve to evaluating expertise, lived experience, credentials, ethics, referrals, working style, boundaries, and rapport.They also get into a harder question: What happens when the...
2026-09-2430 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality055: Professional Vulnerability Be Careful Who You Open Up ToHow much of yourself should you reveal when you need help with something happening at work?A trusted partner may care deeply about you, but they also have a stake in what happens next. An internal mentor may understand your organization better than almost anyone, but that person could someday become your boss, your peer, or even your direct report. A manager, HR professional, coach, and therapist each bring different responsibilities and boundaries to the conversation.Sandra and Annette explore the less-discussed side of professional vulnerability: before you open up, understand the relationship you are opening...
2026-09-1731 minCareer Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality054: Passed Over for a Promotion? What Kind of Support Do You Actually Need?Getting passed over for an internal promotion can send you searching for an answer: Was it the company, the manager, the strategy, the skill gap, or something you still cannot see from inside the situation?Sandra and Annette both know the slow erosion that can happen after hearing no again. Annette stopped telling people when she was applying. Sandra eventually stopped putting her hat in the ring at all. But the more complicated question begins when you finally ask for feedback and your body reacts before your mind can make sense of what you are hearing....
2026-09-1027 minCareer Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality053: When You Need an Outside Perspective at WorkHave you ever talked through the same workplace problem with three different people and still ended up in exactly the same place? Sometimes the issue is not that we need more advice. It is that we have not stopped to ask what kind of help we are actually looking for.A difficult boss, an uncomfortable conversation, a decision we cannot make, or a meeting we keep replaying can take over far more of our attention than the original moment deserves. And the people closest to us may love us deeply while still reinforcing the perspective we already have.
2026-09-0330 minCareer Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality052: When the Door Doesn't Exist, Build OneWhat do you do when you've worked hard, developed the skills, invested in yourself, and realize the door you're trying to walk through might not actually exist?Voice actor Christy Harst spent five years trying to break further into the male-dominated world of sports promo. She invested in training, workshops, demos, and marketing. Then an industry insider helped her recognize that working harder wasn't necessarily going to change the system she was trying to enter.Christy got angry.Then she built a door.What began as the Building Doors campaign became something...
2026-08-2735 minCareer Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality051: Resume Writing for Career Reinvention: Show Your Value, Not Just Your Job HistoryWhat if the problem with your resume is not that it leaves too much out, but that it is trying to carry too much?Sandra has not updated her resume in ten years. That creates a very real question: how do you represent a decade of building a coaching business while still honoring the thirty years of IT leadership that shaped the work you do now?Annette shifts the question from “How much history should I include?” to “What is relevant to where I am going next?” From there, the conversation gets practical: how to show evidence...
2026-08-2035 minCareer Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality050: Career Pivot: How to Know When It’s Time for a ChangeMost career pivots do not begin with a resignation letter. They begin much earlier, with a question that keeps returning: Is this still the life I want to be living?For Sandra, the answer emerged slowly. She liked her company and the people she worked with, but she was exhausted, disconnected from the creative parts of herself, and increasingly aware that she did not want her children to look back and remember “Mom was a ghost.” Annette sees a similar pattern with women whose work may not have changed at all, but whose lives have. Children grow up. Care...
2026-08-1336 minCareer Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality049: Intentional Visibility: The Story People Tell About YouWhat if visibility is not about becoming louder, but becoming clearer?People are already forming a story about your work, your leadership, and what they can rely on you for. The question is whether you are participating in writing that story or waiting for someone else to notice you and get it right.Sandra and Annette return to a question that was left unanswered in their previous conversation: What does visibility actually mean? They explore the difference between intentional and accidental visibility, why talking about your accomplishments can feel uncomfortable, and how one-on-ones, stretch assignments, cross-functional...
2026-08-0639 minCareer Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality048: Visibility Starts with Safety: Why Choosing Yourself Changes EverythingMost advice about becoming more visible tells us to speak up, network more, or promote ourselves. But what if visibility isn't a confidence problem at all?What if the real question is whether it feels safe to be seen?Sandra Wint and Annette Garsteck explore how our earliest experiences shape the way we show up at work, in relationships, and even with ourselves. Along the way they unpack nervous system responses, workplace culture, privilege, self-trust, and why so many accomplished women still hesitate to share their voice.One realization becomes the turning point: "I...
2026-07-3037 minCareer Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality047: Uncovering Story through The Success Codex: Ankara Rose on Human Design and AstrologyOn this episode, we continues exploring stories with our guest Ankhara Rose creator of The Success Codex. Since Episode 42, we've been exploring the stories we carry about ourselves, those we've inherit from other people and the ones we create about others. Today, you'll hear us share thoughts and insights about authenticity, safety, and what it actually takes to stop performing a version of yourself and start living as the real one.Join our newsletter community at ExposingTheHiddenReality.com.About our guest Ankara Rose is the creator of The Success Codex, a system that bl...
2026-07-2350 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality046: Why We Create Stories About Other People at WorkHow often have you convinced yourself you knew exactly why someone behaved the way they did?A delayed email. A difficult conversation. A decision you didn't expect. Before long, we've filled in the blanks with a story that feels completely true. But what if the story says more about us than it does about the other person?In this episode, Sandra and Annette explore how quickly we create stories about coworkers, leaders, and even strangers. Through everyday examples, including a simple coupon code that turned into an entire story about a team and its leadership, they...
2026-07-1632 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality045: Why Smart Women Get Workplace Conflict Wrong: When We Assume We Know Someone's IntentionsWhat if one of the biggest causes of workplace conflict isn't what someone did, but the story we've created about why they did it?Sandra Wint and Annette Garsteck continue their exploration of the stories we carry, but this time, they turn their attention outward. Together, they unpack how quickly we assign meaning to other people's behavior and how those assumptions shape our relationships, leadership, workplace culture, and even our most intimate personal relationships. From bosses and coworkers to partners and family members, the stories we tell about other people's intentions often feel true, even when we have...
2026-07-0936 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality044 Human Design for Leadership Self-Awareness and Career GrowthWhat if the reason you've struggled at work isn't because you're doing something wrong, but because you've never fully understood how you're designed to work, lead, and grow?In this episode, we continue our exploration of Human Design and discuss how greater self-awareness can transform leadership, career growth, workplace relationships, and professional fulfillment.Sandra and Annette unpack how understanding your Human Design profile can help you navigate job interviews, workplace conflict, leadership transitions, organizational culture, entrepreneurship, and career decision-making.They explore the differences between generators, manifestors, manifesting generators, reflectors, and projectors, discuss why some...
2026-07-0231 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality043: What Stories Are Hurting Your Career? Human Design, Identity, and Self-AwarenessWhat if the story you've been carrying about yourself was never yours to begin with?Sandra and Annette explore how the labels, expectations, and stories we inherit shape our careers, relationships, leadership styles, and sense of self.Sandra shares how Human Design helped her better understand patterns she had struggled with for years. Together, they discuss how self-awareness can help us separate who we truly are from who we've been told to be, creating more self-compassion and a deeper understanding of how we naturally work, communicate, and lead.The conversation also explores a powerful...
2026-06-2540 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality042: Hidden Career Cost of Believing the Wrong StoryThe stories we believe about ourselves often become the stories that shape our careers.In this episode, Sandra and Annette explore how labels like bossy, selfish, and too much can influence confidence, leadership, workplace relationships, and professional growth. They discuss why feedback should be examined thoughtfully, how reputation can become a burden to manage, and why awareness is the first step toward rewriting the narratives that no longer serve us.Because the story holding you back may have been written by someone else.And the moment you ask,
2026-06-1833 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality041: AI Is Making Information Free. Expertise Is Becoming Priceless.Artificial intelligence is making information, content creation, and problem-solving more accessible than ever before. But what happens when everyone has access to the same tools? During Part 2 of their conversation with Jenn Prochaska of The Write Difference, Annette Garsteck and Sandra Wint explore how AI is changing marketing, entrepreneurship, coaching, and the future of work.As the discussion unfolds, a surprising theme emerges. While AI can accelerate learning, automate tasks, and remove barriers, it cannot replace lived experience, judgment, creativity, or human connection. From marketing frameworks and business strategy to cooking family recipes and developing mastery, the conversation...
2026-06-1119 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality040: The Human Advantage: What AI Still Can’t DoArtificial intelligence is changing the way we work, market, hire, and build businesses, but what happens when everyone has access to the same tools? During this conversation, Annette Garsteck and Sandra Wint sit down with message strategist and copywriter Jenn Prochaska, of The Write Difference, to explore the opportunities, challenges, and unintended consequences of AI in today's workplace.From website copy and content creation to hiring, résumés, automation, and entrepreneurship, the conversation examines where AI shines, where it falls short, and why authenticity, relationships, and human expertise not only matter, but are a required point of di...
2026-06-0531 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality039: Why Professional Visibility Feels Unsafe for So Many WomenIn this episode, Annette Garsteck and Sandra Wint explore the emotional side of professional visibility and why showing up online can feel deeply uncomfortable for many women.From LinkedIn profiles and leadership presence to workplace experiences, self-doubt, and trauma-informed perspectives, this conversation unpacks the hidden fears that often influence how women present themselves professionally.If you’ve ever hesitated to post, speak up, network, or fully own your accomplishments, this conversation will likely feel very familiar.Join our email list at exposingthehiddenreality.com to stay connected between episodes and continue conversations that go deeper th...
2026-05-2830 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality038: Why We Still Love LinkedIn: A Better Way to Network, Learn, and GrowIn this episode of Exposing the Hidden Reality, Annette Garsteck and Sandra Wint explore how LinkedIn has evolved, why it remains their favorite professional platform, and how leaders, job seekers, entrepreneurs, and professionals can use it more effectively. From profile photos and personal branding to networking strategies, thought leadership, and avoiding common LinkedIn mistakes, they share practical insights to help you build meaningful connections and create new opportunities. Whether you're looking to grow your career, expand your network, or increase your professional visibility, this conversation will help you make LinkedIn work for you.Join...
2026-05-2438 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality037: Leadership Visibility Starts Here: Using LinkedIn With IntentionAnnette and Sandra explore how leaders can use LinkedIn intentionally to build visibility, recognize others, strengthen workplace culture, and create meaningful professional connections without social media overwhelm.If today’s conversation reminded you that leadership visibility doesn’t have to feel overwhelming, join our email community at ExposingTheHiddenReality.com. We share exclusive conversations, insights, and candid thoughts on work, leadership, and life for subscribers only.Connect with Exposing the Hidden Reality:https://exposingthehiddenreality.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/exposingthehiddenrealityFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/exposingthehiddenrealityInstagram: https://www.instagra...
2026-05-1425 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality036: Bias Disguised as “Culture Fit” with London WolfeWhy “they’re not a good fit for our culture” often means “their brain works differently than ours”—and how this mindset quietly sustains bias in hiring and promotion.This week on Exposing the Hidden Reality, we’re joined by London Wolfe, a business alignment strategist and cognitive leadership trainer, to unpack one of the most subtle and damaging forms of workplace bias: the myth of “culture fit.”London helps leaders recognize that most workplace conflict isn’t about personality—it’s about how different brains process information, communicate, and solve problems. Drawing from her background in education, organizational leadershi...
2025-12-2641 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality035: Perimenopause: “You’re Not Too Young. You’re Not Imagining It.” with Jessica O'SickeyWelcome to Exposing the Hidden Reality, a weekly conversation for women who are ready to ask better questions, challenge the narratives we’ve been handed, and reclaim agency over our lives, our work, and our bodies.Today’s conversation is one so many women will recognize.We’re joined by Jessica O’Sickey, a nurse practitioner with over a decade of experience in cardiothoracic intensive care, and a dual-certified Macro and Functional Nutrition Coach. Jess works with women 35 and over who are navigating perimenopause, weight changes, fatigue, and the deep frustration of being told everything looks “normal” wh...
2025-12-1648 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality034: Building Your Own Blueprint: Claiming Space in the Trades with Claire Summers-JonesWomen in the trades are often told — directly or indirectly — that they don’t belong. Yet every shop, studio, and construction site proves otherwise. In this episode, we sit down with Claire Summers-Jones, a theatrical carpenter, technical engineer, educator, and founder of Beech Tree Studio, to explore what it really takes for women to claim space in historically male-dominated industries.Claire — known affectionately as Carpenter Barbie — brings over a decade of experience in technical theatre, creative engineering, teaching, and hands-on mentorship. Her story weaves together creativity, resilience, humor, and the kind of grit that only comes from repeatedly walking into rooms...
2025-12-0951 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality033: From People Pleasing To Self Worth: Hypnotherapy, Labels, and Letting Go with Alyssa ZonghettiWomen are handed labels long before they are handed support. Wife. Widow. Single. Childfree. Caretaker. “Too much.” “Not enough.” We are praised for people pleasing, rewarded for self-sacrifice, and quietly shamed when our lives do not match the script.In this episode, we sit down with Alyssa Zonghetti, a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist and Mindset Coach who works with women to break old patterns, release shame, and reclaim the self-worth, self-confidence, and self-love they were never taught to claim.We explore what it really takes to stop performing for everyone else, meet yourself where you are, and create c...
2025-12-0442 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality032: Unfunk Yourself: EQ, Mindfulness, and the Power of the Pause with Emily Hampton MorashWe are living in a world that rewards speed, reactivity, and constant output. Women are praised for multitasking, staying “on” all the time, and keeping everyone else regulated while quietly ignoring their own nervous system. Mindfulness gets written off as a luxury. Emotions get labeled as weakness. And our bodies keep the score.In this episode, we sit down with Emily Hampton Morash, author of Unfunk Yourself, emotional intelligence educator, and mindfulness facilitator who is on a mission to help people get out of their own way. Emily brings equal parts science, humor, and tough love as she brea...
2025-12-0458 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality031: Beyond Busy: Escaping the Bottleneck of Stuff with Ann RusnakWhat if the problem is not that you need to “try harder” or buy a fancier planner, but that the entire productivity game was never designed with your life in mind? Most time management advice assumes you have a clean slate, a house elf and zero children.In this episode, we talk candidly with our guest, Ann Rusnak. She had a booming business, a family, a pile of invisible housework and a body that finally said “enough” by collapsing on the way to take her daughter to school.From that crash she rebuilt her business and her life using 15...
2025-12-0447 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality029: Stop Outsourcing. Start Partnering. A Real Talk on Hiring VAs with Rachael DavilaToday we’re talking with Rachael Davila, VA mentor, implementation strategist, and founder of Extra Hands Virtual Assistance. Rachael has spent twenty years helping business owners get the support they need and helping VAs build sustainable practices. She knows the truth many women hesitate to say out loud. Hiring help is not about delegating tasks. It’s about finding the right fit.We’ll explore what readiness really looks like, what to avoid, and how to create a partnership that strengthens your business instead of adding more stress.About Rachael DavilaRachael Davila is a Virtua...
2025-12-0249 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality030: GET OUT! - The voice that saved my life with Dr. Sheri LakeWhat happens when the life you built almost kills you? What if the voice that saves your life also asks that you burn your script?In this episode of Exposing the Hidden Reality conversation, we sit down for a candid talk with Dr. Sheri Lake, former professor and now angel communicator and author of the forthcoming memoir Get Out: A Woman’s Guide to Divine Rebellion.She shares the story of the moment that changed her life direction and the months of work after. One day, on her commute home, she was hit head on by a...
2025-11-2550 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality028: Leadership, Parenting and the Stories Women Carry with Shayna BergmanWomen in leadership are carrying more than titles. They are carrying stories. Expectations. Invisible labor. The cultural scripts that tell them to be everything to everyone while staying quiet about what it costs.Today we sit down with Shayna Bergman, an executive coach working at the intersection of leadership, parenthood and purpose. Shayna brings a sharp, honest and deeply human lens to the challenges women never feel permitted to voice. The impossible standards. The guilt. The push to excel at work and be fully present at home. The belief that everyone else is handling it better than we...
2025-11-2249 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality027: Boxless Living: Healing the Hidden Blocks with Sarah StrayWhat if the thing holding you back isn’t mindset—but something deeper running beneath the surface?Today we sit down with Sarah Stray, founder of Boxless Coaching, an Akashic Record healer and soft, powerful word-weaver who hears the whispers of your next-level self as a roar. Sarah works with women standing in the liminal space—on the edge of an invisible threshold between what’s known and what’s calling them forward. She reveals how ancestral patterns, inherited beliefs, and collective trauma can quietly shape the fears that keep women from being seen and heard.Instead of...
2025-11-1446 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality026: The Illusion of Safety: When Security Becomes Self-Abandonment with Shelly CannonWhat happens when staying safe slowly becomes self-abandonment?In this raw and powerful episode, Shelly Cannon, powerlifter, entrepreneur, and stage IV breast cancer survivor, shares the truth about what happens when we ignore the inner voice telling us it’s time to go. For 25 years, Shelly built a successful career as COO of a wealth management firm. On paper, it was everything she’d worked for. But behind the scenes, stress, obligation, and self-neglect were quietly taking a toll — until a stage IV cancer diagnosis forced her to stop.Now leading four businesses, Shelly reflects on how il...
2025-11-1143 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality025: Empowering Authenticity at Work with Jen Jones DonatelliWhat happens when we stop performing and start leading from a place of authenticity?Join us for an inspiring conversation with Jen Jones Donatelli, a certified PCC-level coach and founder of Creative Groove, where she helps individuals and teams explore the art of creative living. Jen brings her signature mix of play, purpose, and possibility to the topic of Empowering Authenticity at Work, showing us how to infuse creativity, confidence, and courage into everyday professional life.Together, we’ll explore how leaders and organizations can create environments where employees feel safe to bring their authentic selves to...
2025-11-0844 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality024: Scaling a Culture-First Brand in a Culture-Last Industry with Katy SpadaWhat happens when you build a brand rooted in memory, heritage, and purpose in an industry that rewards trends, polish, and sameness?In this conversation, Katy Spada, founder and CEO of Ary + Maan, shares how a bedtime request from her child turned into a purpose-driven business celebrating South Asian heritage through modern, cozy family pajamas. Katy talks about launching Diwali pajamas, bootstrapping her brand while balancing motherhood and a full-time career, and building a community of multicultural families around culture and belonging.We explore the emotional labor of representation, the unspoken bias in the “culture-last” fashion indu...
2025-11-0840 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality022: Real Talk: Women, Work, Bias & Community with Annette Garsteck & Sandra WintSometimes we pause the guest interviews to talk about what we’re seeing in real time.This episode is one of those. In this conversation, co-hosts Annette Garsteck and Sandra Wint reflect on the episodes so far, the stories that stayed with them, the themes that keep repeating, and the very real tension women navigate between career, caregiving, bias, and being seen as whole humans at work. They revisit conversations on fertility and career timing, domestic abuse and leadership, disability and inclusion, loving people at work, and why so many women are choosing entrepreneurship for freedom and flexibility.
2025-11-0845 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality023: Future by Design: From UN Leader to Sustainable Agency Founder with Mirjana ArlaudWhat makes a woman leave a prestigious global career to build something on her own terms?In this episode, Mirjana Arlaud, Founder and CEO of Future by Design, shares how motherhood, burnout, and creative renewal led her from the UN to launching a purpose-led creative agency in 2018. We explore the rise of women entrepreneurs, why many stop asking for a seat at the table and build their own, and how women are redesigning the way we work and lead.Mirjana also offers candid lessons from her own journey—on scaling sustainably, leading with empathy, and designing a...
2025-10-3045 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality021: Surviving Success: A Fortune 100 Leader’s Journey to Authentic Leadership with Beverly FloresWhat if your greatest achievements left you feeling empty instead of fulfilled?In this honest and empowering conversation, Beverly Flores, Founder & CEO of Thyme Out Consulting, shares her story of surviving success—the moment she realized that climbing higher in corporate leadership wasn’t leading to happiness. After 24 years at John Deere, she chose to pause, reflect, and redefine what success really means.Beverly reveals how her EEI System™—centered on Energy, Enthusiasm, and Intensity—helped her transform burnout into balance and turn achievement into alignment. Through real-life lessons from her global career and personal reinvention, she offers...
2025-10-2346 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality020: Women Drive the Shift Toward Purpose-Led Business with Lorraine Schuchart, APRWhat happens when women stop chasing traditional definitions of success and start redefining business around purpose?In this inspiring episode, Lorraine Schuchart, APR, Founder & CEO of Prosper for Purpose, joins us to explore how women entrepreneurs are driving a global shift toward businesses rooted in values, impact, and sustainability. Lorraine’s work as a certified B Corp leader proves that when women lead with purpose, profitability follows.In honor of Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, we dive into what it really takes to prosper with purpose—why purpose is a smart business strategy, how it reshap...
2025-10-2150 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality019: Find Your Fireflies | Find Safe Spaces & Practice VulnerabilityIn this episode, we speak with Melissa Bauknight, founder of The Nova Global, to talk about rewiring how ambitious women and non-binary folks gather, lead, and work. Melissa shares her path from a high-performing corporate career to building spaces where people feel safe to be seen, practice vulnerability, and bring their personal, professional, and spiritual selves to the same table.We dig into imposter syndrome, why masking keeps us small, how intentional community changes our nervous system, and what happens when we trade the old networking script for experiential, values-driven connection. Think fewer gatekeepers, more fireflies lighting the...
2025-10-1949 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality018: Numb Less, Live More - Values + Boundaries for the Sober CuriousWhat happens when a high-achieving athlete, corporate pro, and coach decides to get curious about alcohol and everything it was doing for her?Meet Renée Adams, Certified Sober Curious and Mindset Coach and co-founder of Nosedive Co., a wellness brand helping people “numb less” and live more. Renée grew up in a high-pressure world where worth tracked productivity. Through sober curiosity, she found her voice, rebuilt confidence, and started helping others do the same.In this conversation, we get practical about numbing less, leading with values, and setting boundaries in drink-forward spaces without losing your e...
2025-10-1944 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality017: The Subtle Ways Women Give Away Power + How to Stop"You don’t need a raise because you get child support,” that is what Gail D. Rudolph, boss said to her. At that moment, she realized something bigger was at play: POWERNot just who holds it, but how we unknowingly give it away. We talk about power like it’s a reward, something you earn once you’ve climbed high enough. But what if power isn’t granted? What if it’s something we already hold?Join us as we speak with Gail Rudolph, author of Power Up, Power Down, to explore how women can stop mistaking...
2025-10-1940 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality016: Comfort - The Real Power MoveHow can we walk in comfort in our own shoes? That is our question today! Not just as a fashion statement but as a question of leadership as well.Footwear is still designed mostly by people who don’t walk in our shoes. Literally. And for women, most dress shoes are built for an “average” foot that doesn’t exist.Tina Wright, founder of GRRIPP Industries and inventor of The Heel Sling, joined us a few weeks ago to unpack a powerful conversation on how a simple, elegant strap inside the shoe is changing fit, safety, a...
2025-10-1938 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality015: High-Performing Women + Narcissistic Relationships with Marysol JamesHigh-achieving women don’t fall for the narcissist or abuser because they’re naive. They’re targeted because they shine.In this episode, bestselling author turned global speaker Marysol James joins us to map the quiet mechanics of narcissistic abuse, why top performers are so often in the blast zone, and how the fallout shows up at work as missed deadlines, muted voices, and surprise resignations.We unpack the slow-boil dynamics, the double hit of shame, and what trauma-aware leadership looks like in practice. Smart, clear, compassionate. No tip-toeing.This one is tender and fierce...
2025-10-1957 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality014: Voice + Leadership in the Medical Field with Dr. Tonie ReinckeIn this episode, we connect with Dr. Tonie Reincke, and have a great conversation about Voice and Leadership in the Medical Field. Dr. Reincke is an Interventional Radiologist and the founder of Reincke Vein Center in Houston. She treats vein disease daily and leads with a simple rule: education first, consent always.In this conversation, we get real about bias in exam rooms, the myth of “the nurse by default,” and why residency culture still needs a hard look. We talk about options for tired, heavy, aching legs, what’s medical vs cosmetic, and how to vet a provide...
2025-10-1949 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality013: Breaking the Fear of Messing UpWhat happens when the fear of “messing up” keeps us from speaking, connecting, or including others?We are thrilled to welcome Brittany Martin Déjean, founder of Inclusion Jumpstart, for a conversation about FOMU—the fear of messing up—that holds back well-intentioned people and feeds exclusion.Brittany knows this from both sides. At 12, after her father was paralyzed in a car accident and her brother was killed, she returned to school only to find silence. Classmates, afraid of saying the wrong thing, said nothing at all—leaving her isolated. Years later, she found herself making the...
2025-10-1944 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality012: Ditch the Fairy Tale - Breaking Motherhood BiasDITCH the Fairy Tales! You know, the ones about Prince Charming, Happily Ever After, and the big "happy family". Today, we're talking about big, bold and important issues with Cheri Bergeron - author, speaker, coach, and founder of the nonprofit Cheri’s Choice.After a successful career in tech and entrepreneurship, Cheri faced a truth too many women discover too late: traditional timelines and fairy tales don’t always line up with biology. Her journey to motherhood wasn’t linear. IVF, child loss, foster parenting, and a custody battle that challenged outdated laws all shaped the path that led her...
2025-10-1741 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality011: Breaking Barriers to LeadershipIn this episode, we go deep with Jennifer Recla to discuss an important question: What keeps women leaders from rising?Jennifer is a coach, trainer, and outdoor adventurer. We're going to explore the challenges women face in leadership and the practical ways to overcome them. Inspired by How Women Rise, Jen will shine a light on the habits that hold us back—perfectionism, downplaying accomplishments, overusing “we” instead of “I,” and struggling to find the right voice in the room.We explore:The invisible rules women leaders often follow—and how to break themWhy owning your voice an...
2025-10-1746 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality010: Building Global Connections Through PlayCuriosity is a muscle. Let’s train it young!In today's episode, we connect with Whitney Duenas Richardson, founder of Global Sprouts. We were not prepared for the incredible conversation that flowed and we're so excited to share it with you!Join us, and meet this engaging woman, mother, and entrepreneur! In our conversation, we explore how hands-on culture kits turn play into empathy for children ages 2 to 8. We cover what it means to have a mission that is bigger than education; it includes authentic sourcing with paid cultural ambassadors, a simple project-based learning loop, and the...
2025-10-1743 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality009: Joy at Work - Reclaiming Leadership through LoveWhat does it mean to lead with love—especially when the world expects something harder, faster, tougher?Join us for what is sure to be a thoughtful and perspective-shifting conversation with Gretchen Schott, co-author of Joy@Work: When Women Lead. We'll be exploring her chapter, Choosing to Lead with Love. Gretchen’s story begins in personal loss and unfolds into a powerful reminder: love, joy, and authenticity are not weaknesses in leadership. They are the strategy for creating impact, resilience, and real change.How might leading with humility and confidence change workplace culture?Is Joy n...
2025-10-1739 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality008: Trusting YourselfWhat happens when the stories you’ve carried from childhood, family, and society no longer fit who you are?In this episode of Exploring the Hidden Reality, we speak with Paula Collins, a Magdalen sound priestess and spirituality mentor. Paula shares her powerful journey of loss, awakening, and reclamation, and how she now helps women uncover buried wounds, reclaim their voice, and step fully into their truth.This conversation is about boundaries, belonging, and the courage to release what no longer serves you so you can embrace the life you were always meant to live.
2025-10-1741 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality007: Burnout, Hustle Culture & Women with Claire CampionBurnout, hustle culture, and the invisible emotional load!!!. These are the topics that we need to discuss and challenge. Why? Because these challenges are all too familiar for women in the workplace.In this episode of Exploring the Hidden Reality, we talk with Claire Campion, a career and leadership coach with 20 years of HR experience at Google and Grammarly.Together, we explore how women can manage their careers with intention, advocate for ourselves, and thrive without sacrificing our well-being.About Claire Campion:Claire Campion is a career and transition coach who helps high-achieving wom...
2025-10-1742 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality006: Trusting Your Inner CompassWhat does it take to choose a life you love? Does it just naturally happen or is it about taking and making deliberate bold moves?Today, we're having a deep and soulful conversation with Missy Toy Ozeas about the courage to take a bold step in the direction of your dream. She left a decades-long career in film and television to step into her calling! She followed her heart and embraced entrepreneurship. She's an energy healer and intuitive channel, but we think she's a leader who's proving it’s never too late to follow your purpose.Join...
2025-10-1743 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality005: Subconscious At WorkEver wonder why certain patterns keep showing up in your work life? Do you encounter self-doubt, find yourself overworking, or feeling unseen no matter how much you achieve?Join us this week as we talk with Salma Khattab, a Board Certified Hypnotherapist and Transformational Coach. We're going to explore how childhood experiences and subconscious beliefs shape our careers, leadership journeys, and the create the lens through which we see the world.Salma brings a powerful blend of hypnotherapy, transformational coaching and embodiment work to her practice. She helps women worldwide release old conditioning and step into th...
2025-10-1746 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality004: From Corporate IT to Creative FreedomWhat’s it really like being a woman in Corporate IT, and then deciding to step into the world of IT entrepreneurship?Join Annette Garsteck, Sandra Wint, GPCC and Kim Roth, Founder of Allura Connections, as we explore candid insights and experiences from decades in Corporate structures, IT and business.We’ll explore:The surprising overlaps between tech and entrepreneurshipBiases, insights and breakthroughs as women in male-dominated spacesThe freedoms and frustrations of entrepreneurshipAbout Kim:Kim believes in keeping tech simple because she understands that your business should serve your life, not...
2025-10-1744 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality003: Hanging in the Balance: Professional + Personal LivesThe pressure to do it "perfectly" is something all women know!In this episode, we talk with Tori Magers Smith, MBA, founder of Recruitfully. Tori’s building a business while raising a daughter—and navigating the impossible pressure to do both perfectly. In this episode, we’re getting real about:-- The emotional load of “working mom” life-- Trying to grow a niche business (and not giving up)-- The power of women showing up for each otherExpect...honest, funny, and it's exactly the conversation so many of us need to hear....
2025-10-1750 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality002: Owning Your NarrativeWhen someone attacks your character, how do you take back control?This week, we’re joined by Rachael Olasunkanmi, a dynamic project manager turned AI consultant, who knows what it means to rise with resilience. We’ll explore how professionals, especially women, can reclaim their story, rebuild trust, and create a stronger presence after facing adversity.✨ This episode is for anyone who’s ever had to start over and wants to do it with intention.🗣 Let’s talk about:✔ Reclaiming your story on your own terms✔ The power of authenticity and transparency✔ How your s...
2025-10-1736 min
Career Identity + Growth Conversations for Professional Women: Exposing the Hidden Reality001: Building Real Partnerships + Collaboration with Women FoundersWe’re kicking off with two powerhouse guests who are changing the game for women in tech and entrepreneurship.Join us live for a conversation with Caitie Sfingi and Maggie Sfingi, the co-founders of Merakite, a women-led software agency, and Kinhive, a new platform designed to connect women founders with the collaborators they need to bring their ideas to life.In this live chat, we’ll explore: ✨ What real partnership looks like for women founders ✨ How to build a product without feeling lost or gatekept ✨ Why access, trust, and aligned values matter in tech ✨...
2025-10-1750 min
The Landy Peek PodcastEpisode #53 You’re Not Failing—You’re EvolvingIf you’ve ever thought “I don’t know what I’m doing” or felt like walking away from your career meant you failed… this episode is going to change your life.
Today I’m joined by Annette Garsteck, a career reinvention coach who walked away from a “stable” corporate career—and found something better. Together, we’re breaking down the truth about failure, identity, and why slowing down can actually be your superpower.
Here’s what you’ll take away:
Why leaving a job isn’t failure—it’s growth.
The reframe that will stop the s...
2025-09-0154 min
The Empowered Money GirlSE01E04 - Empowering Women in Their Careers | With Annette GarsteckIn This Episode:Annette shares her unique journey from corporate America to becoming a trusted resource for women navigating career transitions, job hopping, and workplace challenges.Discover practical tips for:Breaking free from traditional career paths and leveraging company benefits like tuition reimbursement and 401(k) matchesNavigating job hopping in today’s market—when it makes sense, how to explain it in interviews, and why loyalty to your employer isn’t always rewardedBuilding financial confidence by understanding your company’s perks, negotiating raises, and making informed decisions about education and savingsEmpowering women to...
2025-08-1235 min
More Than ADHD™️Rethinking Career Identity: Beyond Job Titles: The More Than ADHD™ Podcast Episode #28In this episode of the More Than ADHD™ Podcast, I sat down with Annette Garsteck to unpack the complexities of career identity and challenge the way we think about our jobs. We explored how corporate culture shapes our self-perception and talked about why unpaid work experience still holds real value. If you’re navigating a career shift, this conversation is for you. We reminded listeners (and ourselves) that we are not defined by what we do, and that career transitions can actually be powerful opportunities for growth. Tune in for some practical advice and a fresh perspective on your prof...
2025-07-1527 min
Mastering The Numbers with Joseph MalloAnnette Garsteck of Annette Garsteck Career Coaching | Ep 55Looking to reinvent your career or take control of your professional journey? In this episode of Mastering the Numbers, host Joe Mallo sits down with career coach Annette Garsteck to explore the challenges and opportunities of career transitions. From overcoming fear and uncertainty to embracing innovation in the job market, Annette shares invaluable insights on making strategic moves, whether you're pivoting within your industry or taking the leap into entrepreneurship. Tune in to learn how to navigate career changes with confidence and build habits that set you up for long-term success. Don't let fear or perfectionism hold y...
2025-02-2633 min
Dear Wild Heart#13 Reinvention, The Death Card, & Martha Stewart with Annette GarsteckReinvention... What's the big deal?
We reinvent ourselves many times throughout our lives. Join me in this conversation with Annette Garsteck, The Career Reinvention Coach as we discuss how to train yourself to see that you have already reinvented yourself before, and how to move forward towards your new career goal. We also take some meandering turns, talking about how I pulled the Death card out of my tarot deck right before our call, Annette's fascination with Martha Stewart, and why she just doesn't have time for people who don't have time to help others (my kinda...
2024-02-281h 00
Groove with PortiaPermission to Explore: Navigating Career Transitions with Annette GarsteckIn this episode of Groove with Portia, I'm honored to welcome Career Reinvention Coach, Annette Garsteck. Annette dives into how she is navigating the grief that accompanies the entrepreneurial journey. Our Career Reinvention Pioneer shares how the limiting belief of doubt played a pivotal role in her transition from the corporate world to the path of entrepreneurship. Annette offers listeners permission to discuss career endeavors with others instead of keeping them a secret. Our Career Coach stressed the importance of support and finding or creating a network with nurturing at the forefront. Annette imparts the value of saying “yes” to a me...
2023-08-1637 min
BrandsTalkHow can ambitious job seekers convey their personal brand to land their dream job? w/ Annette GarsteckTune into my conversation with the amazing Career Coach Annette Garsteck, when she provides valuable advice on how ambitious job seekers can convey their personal brand to land their dream job.We dive deep into:💡How a jobseeker's LinkedIn profile can automatically brand them💡How job seekers can brand themselves on their résumé💡How the job interview plays into branding💡What other things a job candidate can do to convey their personal brand💡How we can break down the biases and barriers that hold our income (ours as women) ho...
2022-12-2035 min