Shows
Leaning My WayLearning to Lean My Own Way: Season 1 Wrap-UpAfter interviewing 13 incredible working mothers, host Mikenzie Ginsberg reflects on the biggest lessons from Season 1. She shares four key takeaways from season 1: why perfect planning doesn't work, how meaningful work can anchor you through motherhood's identity shifts, building support systems that fit your family, and choosing authenticity over societal expectations.Mikenzie weaves together powerful insights from all 13 Season 1 guests: Cecilie (startup founder), Emily (tech leader), Leila (VC founder), Silke (VP at Dow Jones), Jaclyn (therapist), Charlotte (marketing consultant), Candice (lawyer), Livia (political risk consultant), Shaina (filmmaker), Karina (business owner), Genia (social entreprenuer), Camilla (Deliveroo executive), and Shachar...
2025-07-2425 minLeaning My WayLiving Life Intensely: How Livia found meaning through a business turnaround, motherhood and lossJoin Leaning My Way Substack: https://substack.com/@leaningmywayAttend Jaclyn Udell’s Matrescence digital workshop: https://lu.ma/zwhtzj8kShow Notes:Livia Paggi is a political risk consultant, business partner, and mother of three who has always lived life by her own rules. In this episode, she shares her remarkable career journey from helping global investors navigate geopolitical crises to turning around a bankrupt company with colleagues after her second daughter was born. When professional triumph collided with devastating personal loss—losing her third baby just one day before the...
2025-07-0347 minLeaning My WayBeautiful Things Come at Their Own Inconsiderate Timing: Shachar's journey of resilience through career and fertility uncertaintyShachar Peled shares her journey from reporter to working mother, and how she's learned to find meaning when life doesn't go according to plan. A former journalist for CNN and other international outlets, Shachar opens up about her three-year fertility struggle, transitioning from the unpredictable world of reporting to Google, and facing two unexpected layoffs in recent years.She's refreshingly honest about the challenges of motherhood, job searching as an ambitious woman, and how she's learned to embrace uncertainty while rebuilding her career and completing a master's degree at Oxford.Show Time Stamps:
2025-06-2657 minLeaning My WayGrowing Career and Family: Camilla on going from startup manager to public company executive while navigating IVF and raising 3 kidsCamilla Kater has been promoted seven times at Deliveroo—including twice while on maternity leave. In this episode, she shares her 10-year journey from Head of UK Operations at the “start-up” to public company executive while navigating IVF and raising three kids. Camilla opens up about keeping her fertility treatment secret while working at a high-growth startup, the practical challenges of daily medical appointments, and why she actually worked harder during IVF. We discuss her maternity leave transitions, the surprise of getting pregnant naturally with her second child just before returning to work, and the systems she's built to balanc...
2025-06-1957 minLeaning My WayFrom BBC Reporter to Social Entrepreneur: How Genia Followed Her Curiosity to Build an Award-Winning Business as a Mother of TwoGenia Mineeva has crafted an unconventional career path guided purely by passion and purpose. From growing up in post-Soviet Russia to building a decades-long career at the BBC, then running communications for a major NGO, and finally creating Been — a social enterprise turning waste materials into luxury products — Genia's story is one of following your gut even when the path isn't obvious.In this episode, we explore how Genia navigated three major career transitions while raising two daughters in London without family support. She opens up about the realities of building a business while juggling demanding jobs, how...
2025-06-1259 minLeaning My WayCan Women Really Have Kids and a Big Career? Karina’s Journey from COO to Mom Entrepreneur in Her Late 30sFor years, Karina Valencia was certain kids would derail her ambitious career. Growing up in a traditional Mexican household, she rebelled by dedicating herself to climbing the corporate ladder, working in the office of the CEO for companies like Citigroup and Palantir. But after her first marriage ended, she met her now-husband in her late 30s, and everything changed. After a challenging fertility journey that forced her to choose between her high-stress COO role and having a baby, Karina made the difficult decision to resign—and got pregnant one week later. When returning to work brought challenging discrimination, she de...
2025-06-051h 05Leaning My WayNo More Playing Small: Award-winning filmmaker Shaina Feinberg on how motherhood unleashed her career ambitionsAward-winning filmmaker Shaina Feinberg joins Mikenzie to discuss her New York Times Op-Ed film "I Almost Quit My Career for My Kids. Then I Met Joan Darling" and how becoming a mother actually amplified rather than diminished her creative ambitions.In this conversation, Shaina opens up about the moment she almost gave up filmmaking due to the overwhelming pressure of trying to make it as a filmmaker while being a mother to two kids, and how meeting legendary director Joan Darling restored her sense of purpose. She shares practical insights about making it as artist parents i...
2025-05-2952 minLeaning My WayWhen Planning Meets Intuition: Charlotte on fast tracking her marketing career, navigating fertility challenges, and going freelanceMarketing strategist Charlotte Brown shares how an early endometriosis diagnosis shaped her career goals — fast-tracking her rise in the corporate world so she could start a family before 30. She opens up about navigating fertility challenges, a difficult pregnancy, and the realities of returning to work after maternity leave. Charlotte also reflects on the surprising way motherhood reignited her ambition and why she ultimately left her corporate job to go freelance. Her story explores the tension between planning and intuition, and how she’s building a career and family on her own terms.If you're a company looking for...
2025-05-2259 minLeaning My WayFrom Achievement to Meaning: Leila Zegna on hard work, authentic leadership, and the gifts of parenting a child with additional needsIn this episode, venture capitalist Leila Zegna shares her inspiring journey founding Kindred Capital while becoming a mother of three. When her first daughter was born with a rare genetic condition, Leila's identity as a high-achiever was challenged, forcing her to redefine success beyond metrics and accolades. She candidly discusses navigating the venture capital world while pregnant, and her evolution from valuing hard work to embracing authenticity, which is just one of the many gifts her daughter has taught her. This conversation offers powerful insights for anyone questioning how ambition and family can coexist.
2025-05-151h 03Leaning My WayThe evolution of Identity: Silke's journey to reclaiming herself beyond the label of "working mother"Silke is a senior leader at Dow Jones who has built her career and family life across three countries—Denmark, the UK, and the US. In this conversation, she shares her journey from leaving her native Denmark after university to establishing a successful international career while raising two young children with her husband Thomas. Silke speaks candidly about the mental challenges of early motherhood, breastfeeding struggles, and the importance of creating space for herself and her relationship. With her "good for now" philosophy, Silke demonstrates how embracing the present moment allows her to build a fulfilling life that balances ca...
2025-05-0854 minLeaning My WayDesigning a Life That Works for You: Jaclyn's journey across culturesPsychotherapist Jaclyn Udell shares her unconventional life path from studying Mandarin in North Carolina to working in Chinese textiles, retraining as a psychedelic therapist in New York, and building her practice in London as a new mother. Jaclyn discusses how exposure to diverse cultures—from the American South to China, New York, Paris, and London—shaped her unique approach to career decisions and motherhood. She reveals how freelancing allowed her to create a gradual, personalized return to work after having her son Bram, and the emotional journey of separation and establishing her own identity beyond motherhood. Jaclyn's perspective on navi...
2025-05-0153 minLeaning My WayYou Make Plans and God Laughs: Candice's journey from corporate law to stay-at-Home motherhood to entrepreneurshipIn this special episode, Mikenzie gets to chat with her older sister Candice about her career and motherhood journey. Candice is a mother of four girls who has navigated multiple career transitions from corporate real estate law to in-house counsel, stay-at-home motherhood, and now entrepreneurship. In this episode, Candice shares about her lifelong plan to be both a mother and lawyer—and how reality repeatedly disrupted those carefully laid plans. Candice opens up about the challenges of balancing high-pressure corporate law work with family responsibilities, her experience with pregnancy during a new job, navigating shifting financial dynamics with her hus...
2025-04-2448 minLeaning My WayThe Achievement Treadmill: Emily’s path to balance as a tech leader and mother of twoEmily is a commercial operations leader at a major tech company, where she’s helped grow the organization from scrappy startup to public company—all while becoming one of the first senior employees to navigate parenthood.In this episode, Emily shares openly about her deep-rooted drive for achievement, being the primary breadwinner in her family, and the ever-evolving dynamics of balancing an intense job with life as a mother of two. We talk about the crucial role her husband plays in childcare, how she prioritizes core friendships, and her ongoing work to set boundaries.Emily’s hone...
2025-04-1751 minLeaning My WayTurning challenges into opportunities: Cecilie’s journey through loss, motherhood and entrepreneurshipCecilie Jakobsen is the founder and CEO of Wawa Fertility and a single mother to her son and stepdaughter. In this episode, she shares how she turned personal fertility pain into purpose and how she is building a VC-backed startup while raising a child. Cecilie shares openly about her fertility challenges, how she uses her flexibility to make running a business and family work, the crucial role of family and friend support in her life and much more. Cecilie’s honesty, grit, and creativity will leave you rethinking what’s possible for career, for motherhood, and for your life over...
2025-04-0957 minLeaning My WayIntroducing Leaning My WayWelcome to Leaning My Way, a show where I have honest conversations with working mothers about how they really "do it all". This show serves as a resource for all women, whether you're a mother, considering becoming one or just asking some of these questions about how to balance career and parenting. Join us every Thursday for new episodes of Leaning My Way.
2025-04-0905 min
The Career Coach PodcastMikenzie’s Blueprint from a Business Major to a Thriving Tech CareerIn this episode, we're spotlighting Mikenzie Ginsberg, a University of Michigan alum who's made a splash in both venture capital and tech, she is currently the Life Sciences Lead @ Palantir Technologies
1. Embrace Diverse Experiences: "I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do with my life. I had a number of different internships... and my third summer was when I did iXperience." Mikenzie’s path teaches us the value of exploring varied roles and industries. Each experience is a puzzle piece in the larger picture of your career.
2. The Power of Networking: “It's amazing how many p...
2024-02-0258 min