Women Worldwide with Deirdre Breakenridge

Politics has historically been a man’s world, but in recent years women have come to the forefront of many influential political roles. Joni Wickham is a shining example of a strong woman in a political leadership role. She grew up reading newspapers and watching the nightly news as a child while spending time with her grandparents and originally planned to report on political events herself.

Fast-forward several years and Joni found herself in a position without power while a decision was being made to cut a social service that directly impacted her and her family. It was then that she decided to change her focus and have a seat at the decision-making table. She has since built a career in politics that culminated in her being named Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Kansas City, MO. 

Listen as Joni shares triumphs and failures she experienced in her political career and the skills and traits that have benefited her the most in her career. Ever resilient and hard-working, Joni has created a women’s empowerment initiative that has been implemented in several cities and benefits women seeking to build a political career.

Joni, like many of you, is smart, driven, motivated, and resourceful, but her path has not been easy. Hear her take on carving your own path and what it takes to be truly successful. Joni is an inspiration for all women seeking to have their voices heard in the political arena. Do you have what it takes? 

Show Notes:

  • [02:15] Women in politics, how can you be successful in a difficult position? 
  • [03:31] Welcome Joni Wickham! Learn how she found herself as a leader in the political forum.
  • [07:01] What was like to be a woman in politics as the Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Kansas City, MO?
  • [09:02] Joni shares the skills she’s relied on to move her through her political career.
  • [10:52] How did preparedness conquer the ever-encroaching imposter syndrome? 
  • [13:04] Why did Joni choose to enter into entrepreneurship?
  • [15:37] Hear the biggest challenge Joni faced as a woman in politics.
  • [17:32] Learn Joni’s take on how women can best support one another.
  • [22:09] Millenials in government. Joni shares her thoughts!
  • [23:33] What does it take to build trust with millennials?
  • [25:27] How did her younger staff members change with the focus on team building?
  • [27:07] Social media and communication in politics. What are Joni’s thoughts?
  • [30:33] Joni shares her advice to business professionals facing tough times.
  • [31:34] Connect with Joni! 

Links and Resources:

Wickham James Website

Joni on Twitter
Joni on Facebook
Joni on LinkedIn

Wickham James on Twitter
Wickham James on Facebook
Wickham James on LinkedIn
Joni’s LinkedIn Series

Episode’s Sponsor: Empowered Women Event - December 5th, 2019. Get your ticket here: http://bit.ly/empowereddec5

Direct download: WW247.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00am EDT

We all have to eat! Deepti Sharma has a new take on how to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to have their food voice heard. In 2011, Deepti founded FoodtoEat, a community-minded catering concierge service that connects immigrant, women and minority-owned food vendors to growth opportunities. She saw an area of need and has worked tirelessly to provide an equitable solution.

Deepti shares the impetus for creating FoodtoEat as well as the process she followed to move from helping food trucks reach more audiences to facilitating relationships between restaurants and corporate catering needs. Her work has helped New Americans build stronger business skills and fostered a more diverse work culture.

Her background is in political science and she is an advocate for policies that benefit small business owners and immigrant entrepreneurship. She also focuses on gender equity in the small business space. After taking stock of the number of companies founded and owned by men, she began to take a greater interest in helping women to build and foster their own businesses. She also shares what she thinks is the best way for women to help other women business owners.

All of her work has not gone unrecognized. Deepti is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and a Forbes 30 Under 30 alumnus. Her insights into small business and diversity in the community are amazing. From the way she’s built her team to the plans she has for the future of FoodtoEat, Deepti is a wealth of knowledge about entrepreneurship and advocacy. Listen in to learn more ways that you can impact your community by harnessing the power of diversity and inclusion.

Show Notes:

  • [02:06] There’s power in bringing diversity to your community. Learn more with Deepti Sharma.
  • [03:30] Deepti shares a bit about her background and what drove her to create FoodtoEat.
  • [08:39] Learn about the challenges Deepti felt in pivoting from food truck supplier to corporate catering.
  • [14:53] What is Deepti’s philosophy on team creation and nurturing?
  • [17:24] How can women help one another in fostering equity in the workplace?
  • [20:06] Deepti divulges the things she’s learned about herself while building her business.
  • [24:37] Has her team been able to tap into her resilience? 
  • [27:25] Learn how Deepti manages her time between being a mom and wife, a business owner, and a woman.
  • [31:42] Deepti shares her best advice for staying resilient in building your business.
  • [33:19] Connect with Deepti.

Links and Resources:

Episode’s Sponsor: Empowered Women Event - December 5th, 2019. Get your ticket here: http://bit.ly/empowereddec5

Direct download: WW246.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00am EDT

Being bold and taking full ownership of our capabilities is not a natural talent for most women. More often than not we get stuck thinking that we couldn’t possibly succeed if we don’t have the right education, upbringing, social views, etc. Here to debunk those beliefs is Kate Isler. She is an author, international marketing executive, co-founder and CEO of Be Bold Now, Inc., and she did it all without a college degree.

Kate has had a fabulously dynamic career in which she has traveled the globe while working as an executive at Microsoft. She helped open subsidiary offices in Africa, Eastern Europe, India, and the Middle East, Latin America, and China. When she finally returned to the US she lead the international marketing and campaign teams for Microsoft Windows.

It wasn’t until she left Microsoft, after achieving so many career milestones, that she finally stopped and obtained her degree. Kate is supremely passionate about supporting women in reaching their career and life goals, which is what drove her to co-found Be Bold Now. Their mission is to build a network of women to support and inspire each other to take bold action in pursuing gender parity for women in leadership.

Be Bold Now is an outlet and community for women to share their stories and help others find the courage to take action in their own workplaces and communities. If you have a Bold story to tell, take the time to tell your story! Kate has also penned her very first book, a memoir about her young adult career that is due out next year. 

Kate’s advice for women leaders and those who simply want to reach for the next milestone is fantastic. She shares so many amazing stories from her own early career and how her actions then have informed her life today. Listen to the very end to learn why asking for help is not a weakness and why the first step on the road to success is to have a goal. 

Show Notes:

  • [01:11] Welcome back to everyone and thank you for being here.
  • [02:42] Kate Isler is on the show to help you learn how to be bold, now.
  • [04:02] Learn more about Kate’s beginnings and why she created Be Bold Now.
  • [07:15] What does Kate tell women who feel alone in the boardrooms of corporate America?
  • [08:57] Hear why diversity and inclusion are separate ideals that must be addressed equally. 
  • [10:51] Are there common roadblocks to integrating diversity and inclusion? 
  • [12:43] What has Kate learned from hearing the stories of those involved in Be Bold Now? 
  • [15:51] Learn what it means to self-select oneself out of an opportunity.
  • [17:46] How can women support one another to achieve equity in leadership?
  • [21:46] Kate shares information about her new book, a memoir about her young adult life.
  • [25:33] Any lessons that stand out for Kate that helped propel her forward in her career? 
  • [27:41] Where should a woman go to ask for help within their company and in life?
    [30:13] Kate shares her final piece of advice on how to Be Bold. 
  • [32:09] Connect with Kate.

Links and Resources:

Episode’s Sponsor: Empowered Women Event - December 5th, 2019. Get your ticket here: http://bit.ly/empowereddec5

Direct download: WW245.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00am EDT

Taking the leap and changing your career or launching your own business is a seriously scary prospect. Sara Bliss knows all about changing roles, pivoting her focus, and building a brand and a business. She has done everything from ghostwriting books to building brands through words. Her most recent book, Take the Leap, is the result of 10 years of labor, love, and a drive to never quit.

There is no better person to discuss what it takes to move out of a job you hate to creating a business you love than Sara. Before writing Take the Leap she interviewed over 60 entrepreneurs who made the transition from employee to CEO in various stages of their careers. The insights she gleaned from hearing their stories and taking the time to compile them into this wonderful tome are as inspirational as they are informative. 

Listen in as Sara discusses the ups and downs, ins and outs of ghostwriting and writing for major publications. She also shares how taking on the voice of her customer has helped her to dial into what a brand requires to survive. Learn why taking on every project and writing for nearly every topic has helped her better realize the scope of her abilities and how that applies to building her business. 

This conversation was a true adventure into the mind and world of a person born to be an entrepreneur. Sara’s vast experience and willingness to move, grow, and change is something to be admired and studied! Don’t miss out on all of her juicy business tips and listen to the end to hear her fantastic parting advice.

Show Notes:

  • [01:08] Welcome back. We just turned 5! Sending a huge thank you to all our listeners!
  • [02:24] Sara Bliss, the author of Take the Leap, is here to chat about making huge changes.
  • [03:32] Learn all about Sara’s career path and all of the changes she has made over the years.
  • [05:26] What was it like becoming a ghostwriter? 
  • [07:04] Why did Sara feel that bringing Take the Leap to life was important? 
  • [09:27] Sara shares her process for completing and compiling her research and interviews.
  • [10:40] Learn more about the challenges Sara faced as she wrote the book.
  • [14:07] How do you get rid of the chatter so that you can take the leap? 
  • [18:36] Sara discusses how you can best handle rejection.
  • [20:24] Where did most of the people interviewed for Sara’s book fall in their career cycle before taking the leap?
  • [24:21] Speaking with all of her interviewees inspired Sara to continue to make pivots.
  • [25:04] Learn more about the different types of roles Sara has taken on throughout her career and how that has bolstered her business.
  • [27:20] Is retirement an ideal prospect anymore? 
  • [29:31] Sara gives all of us a piece of advice for everyone thinking of taking the leap.
  • [31:34] Connect with Sara.

Links and Resources:

Episode’s Sponsor: Routledge

Download a free chapter of my book Answers for Modern Communicators at http://bit.ly/learningtheessentials 

Direct download: WW244.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00am EDT

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