Shows
Unmuted by NolaEveryone Is Excited…So Why Am I Spiraling?Everyone has been so excited about my return to private practice.Supportive. Encouraging. Certain I’ll be great.So why does coming back feel more disorienting than expected?This episode is about returning to something familiar as a different version of yourself — and the quiet recalibration that follows.🎵 Music credit Tuesday Vibes by Snoozy Beatshttps://soundcloud.com/snoozybeatsCreative Commons — Attributi...
2026-02-2418 minUnmuted by NolaWho Am I Trying to Impress?Lately I’ve been sitting with a quiet question:Who am I trying to impress?Not dramatically. Not in a spiral. Just honestly.This episode is a reflection on polish, belonging, and the subtle pressure to signal success once you find yourself in rooms you didn’t grow up in. The internal math. The invisible rules. The difference between preference and protection.And the ongoing work of deciding which expectations actually deserve our energy.If you’ve ever c...
2026-02-1613 minUnmuted by NolaMy Last Day at My Dream Job: Why Leaving Something Good Doesn’t Mean Something Went WrongWhen you tell people you’re leaving something you once called a dream job, they immediately assume something went wrong.They look for burnout.They want the tea.But sometimes… nothing broke.In this short Unmuted by Nola episode, I reflect on my last day at a role that changed me — what this season taught me about leadership, motherhood, having options, and learning to build without a playbook.If you’re standing in a transition, this one is for you.Sometimes leaving doesn’t mean something went wrong.Sometim...
2026-02-0109 minUnmuted by NolaHow We Keep GoingLately, I’ve been sitting with a quiet but unsettling question:How do we keep going when cruelty is happening in plain sight—without becoming numb, hardened, or detached from our humanity?This episode isn’t about politics, persuasion, or having the right answers.It’s about moral clarity colliding with grief.It’s about holding anger and tenderness at the same time.And it’s about what it means to stay human—especially when you’re still expected to live your life, show up for work, and be a safe place for the people who d...
2026-01-2618 minUnmuted by NolaChoosing What Lights Me Up (Even When It Doesn’t Go)In this episode, I reflect on what happens when you stop outsourcing your preferences — and start choosing what actually lights you up.From event outfits and bold shoes, to the rug that doesn’t “go,” to opening the champagne even when the moment isn’t perfect, this isn’t an episode about style.It’s about self-trust.Not everything needs to make sense to everyone else to be right for you.Music Credit:Tuesday Vibes by Snoozy Beatshttps://soundcloud.com/snoozybeatsCreative Commo...
2026-01-1918 minUnmuted by NolaIt’s Not That Deep: A Few Hot Takes for the New YearThis episode isn’t about reinventing yourself or doing more.It’s about questioning the things we’ve been told matter — and deciding what actually does.I’m sharing a few of my current hot takes on work, wellness, ambition, parenting, and why so much of what we stress over is unnecessary.Some of it is serious.Some of it is light.All of it is honest.If you’ve been feeling stretched thin, over-scheduled, or quietly c...
2026-01-0552 minUnmuted by NolaEnough, Unlimited — On My TermsThis episode isn’t about doing more.It’s about being honest about what’s enough — and what unlimited actually means.In the quiet space between Christmas and New Year’s, I found myself reflecting — not because anything went wrong, but because something underneath the surface was asking to be noticed.What started as a simple word exercise turned into something a lot deeper than I expected — a reckoning with responsibility, over-giving, self-permission, and the realization that being enough doesn’t have to be earned — and that unlimited doesn’t...
2025-12-2918 minUnmuted by NolaFamily Is Loving — and Layered — During the HolidaysThe holidays can be emotionally complicated — even when things are good, even when you love your family, even when there’s laughter, food, and tradition.In this episode of Unmuted by Nola, we slow down and talk about what the holiday season often brings beneath the surface: family dynamics, old roles, grief, guilt, and the quiet emotional labor of showing up.This conversation explores: • why family gatherings aren’t neutral spaces, but emotional archives • loving families that are still layered and draining at times • grief...
2025-12-2111 minUnmuted by NolaProtecting Your Peace During the Holidays: Softness, Sanity, and Saying “No”December has a way of asking for more than we have to give.In this episode of Unmuted by Nola, I’m talking about the social side of the holidays — the invitations, gatherings, family expectations, work parties, and the quiet pressure to be everywhere, for everyone, all at once.We unpack: • why not everything is worth the stress it costs • how to set boundaries without guilt or drama • the invisible energy tax of holiday socializing • adult-only events, babysitters, and weeknight logistics • choo...
2025-12-1514 minUnmuted by NolaLittle Joys, Big ChaosDecember is not a month — it’s a personality.In this lighthearted episode of Unmuted by Nola, Nola unpacks the cozy chaos of the holiday season: the magic, the germs, the deadlines, the sugar, the emotional whiplash — and the annual selection of which mom will be taken out by sickness first.From advent books and toddler Christmas energy to travel prep and making magic while sick, this episode is equal parts funny, honest, and deeply relatable. It’s about choosing presence over perfection, letting go of the pressure to perform...
2025-12-0814 minUnmuted by NolaThe Human Hunger to Be SeenWhy do so many of us feel invisible — even in rooms where we show up fully?Why does competence sometimes make us more overlooked, not less?And why does the quiet longing to be understood feel so universal?In this episode of Unmuted by Nola, we explore the deep human hunger to be seen — not for what we do, produce, or hold together, but for who we truly are beneath the roles.This episode digs into:• How childhood roles shape...
2025-12-0112 minUnmuted by NolaWhen Enough Never Feels Like EnoughIn this deeply honest fireside-style episode, Nola cracks open a quiet truth so many high-achieving, high-caring people carry but rarely name out loud:Why doesn’t it ever feel like we’ve done enough?From spiraling over 25 Christmas books and first-class Santa train tickets to shrinking in professional rooms with “more traditional” lawyers, Nola explores how internalized pressure — not outside expectations — can make even a full, beautiful life feel insufficient.She unpacks: how childhood conditioning ties our worth to usefulness why identity, culture, & comparison make...
2025-11-2318 minUnmuted by NolaI’m Not Burned Out — I’m Just FullThis week’s episode came out a little late — and honestly, that’s part of the story.I’m learning to let the world spin without me for a bit, to honor my capacity, and to tell the truth about what it feels like to love a life that’s beautiful, exhausting, and fuller than I ever imagined.This isn’t a breakdown.It’s a breather.I talk about lying awake wedged between my daughter and my post-surgery dog, longing for community but...
2025-11-1512 min
BPC Streaming NetworkFearless: Our Complex IdentitiesThere are certain things people notice when we first walk into a room, like the way we dress, the color of our skin or the shape of our body. These markers of our identity are in constant conversation with the world. In this episode of Fearless, we talk with Nola Cartmill, chief diversity officer and legal counsel at Holmes Murphy, Sylvia Nemmers, environmental science department chair at American Public University System, and Abi Reiland, president of commercial real estate at Sara Hopkins, about how our complex identities affect how we navigate through the world.
2025-11-1337 minUnmuted by NolaThe Restart SpiralWe love a good “starting Monday” fantasy, don’t we?A gallon of water, a new Peloton plan, a fresh dose of delusion. And by Friday? We’re already promising to start again next week.In this episode of Unmuted by Nola, I’m talking about The Restart Spiral — that endless cycle of hope, hustle, and “maybe next time.” We’ll laugh about the comedy of it all, dig into why we keep hitting reset, and get honest about what it really costs to start again (and again).Because maybe we...
2025-11-0712 minUnmuted by NolaBuilding a Dream in Your Spare Time (ft. Kara)What if your dream doesn’t need your full time — just your full heart?Most of us keep waiting for the right time — for life to slow down, for the money to line up, for the stars to cooperate. But the truth is, the “right time” rarely comes.In this episode, I sit down with my sister Kara — my built-in business buddy and creative consultant — to talk about what it really looks like to build a dream in the middle of real life.We talk about:
2025-10-3156 minUnmuted by NolaWhen the Armor Starts to PinchIt’s 3 a.m., and the house is finally quiet — except for my thoughts.The dog’s sighing, my daughter’s asleep, and I’m lying here realizing the armor that used to protect me — the composure, the control, the calm — has started to pinch.This episode is about that moment when success stops feeling like peace.When the version of you that’s always been capable starts asking, “At what cost?”When the Armor Starts to Pinch is a late-night reflection on leadership, ident...
2025-10-2410 minUnmuted by NolaIt Keeps Happening: Lessons from New York, Leadership, and MotherhoodWhat started as a Des Moines Performing Arts donor trip to New York turned into something much deeper.✨ Mojitos and music at Buena Vista Social Club💔 The ache of the 9/11 Memorial🎶 The breathtaking artistry of Ragtime🌉 A Brooklyn rain break and 20,000-step wander💪🏾 A Peloton miracle with Tunde OyeneyinThrough it all, one refrain echoed in me: it keeps happening. Unexpected grace. Open doors. Joy sneaking in through detours.This episode isn’t a recap — it’s about leadership, leg...
2025-10-1717 minUnmuted by NolaFashion, Fitness & Fighting for Justice (with Kat)Season 2 of Unmuted by Nola is here — and we’re evolving. As I teased in the Season 1 finale with my sisters, this podcast won’t just be my reflections anymore. You’ll still get those, but now you’ll also hear conversations with guests I admire — people balancing life, work, leadership, and joy in their own way.To kick it off, I sat down with my friend Kat. She’s an accomplished attorney who made the leap from Big Law to social justice work — the kind of work that carries immense weight. But in the midst of fig...
2025-10-1049 minUnmuted by NolaGroup Chat Therapy: Inside the Bat CaveEvery superhero has a lair. Ours just happens to be a group chat — and we call it the Bat Cave.In this extended episode — almost a full 60 minutes — I sit down with my sisters, my original built-in kitchen table, to let you eavesdrop on the daily FaceTime calls that hold us together. We talk about how the Bat Cave started, share our funniest “receipts,” and get real about the moments we’ve carried each other through postpartum meltdowns, parenting chaos, and those days when life just feels too heavy.This convers...
2025-10-0356 minUnmuted by NolaThe Myth of BalanceBalance isn’t a perfect day. Or even a perfect week. Sometimes it’s not even a perfect year.In this episode, I get real about what balance actually looks like in my life — as a mom, a lawyer, an executive, and a person who still wants to do big things. I talk about leaving work at 5:00 for daycare pickup, why that doesn’t make me less committed, and why we should stop apologizing for our non-negotiables — whether it’s daycare or Pilates.We dig into why balance feels so hard (spo...
2025-09-2612 minUnmuted by NolaThe Courage to Speak (Even When It’s Messy)Some rooms were never built for us — but we still have to decide whether to speak up when the moment comes.In this episode, I talk about what it feels like to sit in that tension, how I decide when to use my voice, and why staying silent can sometimes feel like self-betrayal.It’s honest, a little chaotic (featuring a real-time kitchen/dog/toddler/pasta moment), and a reminder that your voice matters — even when it shakes.🎧 What You’ll Hear in This Episode:
2025-09-1908 minUnmuted by NolaBe Still and Know (When the World Feels Heavy)Sometimes faith isn’t loud. Sometimes it isn’t even articulate.Sometimes it’s just sitting in the quiet and remembering you’re not the one holding the whole world together.In this unedited and unpolished episode, I share the story behind my be still tattoo — why I got it after surviving one of the darkest seasons of my life, and why I’m clinging to it now as the world feels overwhelming again.Take a deep breath with me, pause for a moment, and remember...
2025-09-1209 minUnmuted by NolaConfessions of a Chronic Vacation Planner — The AftermathThis week’s bonus episode isn’t about leadership or the workplace — it’s about my other full-time job: vacation planner.From coordinating safari-chic zoo outfits, to spiraling over San Diego vs. Anaheim hotels, to the Target runs, Amazon orders, and boutique splurges that somehow felt mandatory before we even left…the chaos was real.And then came the Harper mutiny — because of course my toddler in her dress era wasn’t going to let my perfectly curated Disneyland looks stand unchallenged. Cue the tears, the pleading, and me finally realiz...
2025-09-0807 minUnmuted by NolaMy Break-Up Letter to Hustle CultureFor years, I believed hustle culture when it told me exhaustion was proof of my worth. Law school guilt. Billable hour pressure. Pinterest-worthy parenting. That little voice whispering: “Don’t really unplug. Stay productive. Prove your dedication and loyalty.”But here’s the truth: I was enough all along. And so are you.In this episode, I read my official break-up letter to hustle culture and reflect on how busyness became our badge of honor — and how that badge is costing us our health, our joy, and our presence. I share wh...
2025-08-2908 minUnmuted by NolaHow Do You Even Make Friends as a Grown-Up?Making friends as an adult feels…complicated. Gone are the days of “wanna play?” on the playground. Now it looks more like drafting Facebook DMs with ChatGPT, holding on to old friendships across different life stages, or craving the kind of casual community your grandma had — where people just dropped by for coffee and donuts before church.In this episode, Nola gets candid about what friendship looks like when you’re a team of one at work, when being seen as “leadership” adds a wall you didn’t ask for, and when life’s logistics mean eve...
2025-08-2213 minUnmuted by NolaMotherhood Isn’t a Rebrand — And Capacity Isn’t Yours to Assume“Motherhood isn’t a rebrand” is just the starting point. In this episode, I dive into why we should stop making someone’s “no” for them — whether they’re a parent, a caregiver, or in a completely different season of life.You’ll hear the story of a friend passed over for a leadership opportunity because someone assumed she couldn’t handle it — despite her track record. We’ll unpack how those protective assumptions happen in both directions, why asking matters more than we think, and how boundaries and ambition can co-exist.Because when w...
2025-08-1508 minUnmuted by NolaWhere’s the Adult I’m Supposed to Escalate This To?When you’re the default adult in every space — at home, at work, in your family — there’s no “escalation path” for the overwhelm. It all lands on you.In this episode of Unmuted by Nola, I’m talking about the emotional and logistical weight of being “the one” everyone depends on, the quiet toll it takes, and what softening looks like when you’re maxed out. From potty training negotiations to wasp removal chaos, this one’s equal parts humor, honesty, and a gentle reminder that you’re not broken — you’re just carrying a lot.
2025-08-0810 minUnmuted by NolaI Didn’t Thrive. I Endured.People always ask me what Harvard Law was like. And I usually offer some polished version — say it was great, just not really my scene. That I’m not an East Coast person. But that’s not the whole truth. And until now, I’ve never really told it. In this episode, I open up about what it was actually like to survive one of the most elite institutions in the world — while grieving, unraveling, and trying to hold onto my sense of self. I didn’t t...
2025-08-0112 minUnmuted by NolaThey Just Know: The Deep Power of RepresentationWhat starts as a sweet daycare story between two toddler besties turns into a deeper reflection on why representation still matters—at every age.In this episode, I share the quiet beauty of watching Harper form a friendship rooted in shared knowing, and I open up about my own friendships that have held me through grief, motherhood, and everything in between. We explore the difference between being loved and being understood, and why celebrating difference is not divisive—it’s necessary.🎶 Music Credit:Tuesday Vibes by Snoozy Beats...
2025-07-2509 minUnmuted by NolaStrong Everywhere, Soft NowhereWhat happens when the world only sees your strength — and never your softness? In this episode of Unmuted by Nola, I’m reflecting on the quiet burden of being “the strong one.” I talk about where I learned it, how it nearly cost me my health, and the emotional toll it still takes in motherhood, leadership, and love. From law firm breakdowns to toddler meltdowns, I unpack what it means to hold it all together — and what I’m still learning about asking for help, letting the cracks show, and protecti...
2025-07-1808 minUnmuted by NolaThe Myth of Being Low MaintenanceIn this episode of Unmuted by Nola, we’re unlearning the myth that being “low maintenance” makes us more lovable, more promotable, or more worthy. From middle child peacekeeping to workplace professionalism to romantic relationships where silence became a survival skill, Nola explores how shrinking ourselves—emotionally, energetically, and spiritually—can feel like safety but becomes erasure. She shares the one space where she finally gave herself permission to be a little extra (hint: it’s her birthday), and how reclaiming voice, needs, and visibility is a lifelong act of unmuting.🎵 Tuesday Vibes by Snoozy Beats
2025-07-1111 minUnmuted by NolaThe Door May Be Unlocked, But It’s Still Not OpenThe Civil Rights Act was signed 61 years ago.It promised change.It offered keys.But a key is not the same as a welcome.And a hallway is not the same as a seat at the table.This isn’t a history lesson.It’s a personal one.About doors that stay closed.About merit that still isn’t enough.About the myth that hard work alone can carry you through.I wa...
2025-07-0401 minUnmuted by NolaHer Hair. Her Beads. Her Boundaries.What does it really mean to own your voice?In this episode, I share the quiet moment that followed a big keynote — a moment that didn’t happen on a stage, but in a text to my toddler’s teacher. It was about Harper’s hair. Her beads. Her boundaries. And the cultural nuance that often goes unspoken.This isn’t just about protecting one child. It’s about raising awareness, deepening understanding, and creating a world where all kids — especially Black girls — are taught that their body and their beauty are...
2025-06-3008 minUnmuted by NolaPiece by Piece: An Origin StoryI didn’t lose my voice all at once.It happened slowly—piece by piece.In this first episode of Unmuted by Nola, I share the quiet unraveling that started long before I ever had a title, a platform, or a podcast. From being called a know-it-all as a kid to shrinking in professional spaces where I once felt powerful, this is the origin story of how I started muting myself—and how I’m finding my way back.If you’ve ever dimmed your light to survive or...
2025-06-2707 minUnmuted by NolaTrailer – Unmuted by NolaThis isn’t Episode 1 — it’s the moment I stopped muting myself.Welcome to Unmuted by Nola — a podcast for the layered, the honest, and the bold.From leadership to motherhood to the spaces where we shrink to survive, we’re naming it all — out loud.
2025-06-2501 min
Leading with Power & Purpose126. How to Embrace Your Unique Path as a LeaderAre you planning a pivot into a career that better aligns with your core values? Embracing your unique path and staying true to personal values can lead to remarkable opportunities and growth.In this episode of the Leading with Power & Purpose Podcast, Sabine speaks with Nola Cartmill. Nola is the Chief Diversity Officer and a member of the legal department for Holmes Murphy and is responsible for leading the company's diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy. She emphasizes that power, authority, and influence aren’t solely tied to titles and why women and people of color need to red...
2024-08-2129 min