Women Worldwide with Deirdre Breakenridge

Each generation that enters the workforce does so from a completely new set of life experiences and expectations. How can leaders attract these new generations and more importantly retain them? Hannah Williams has been studying exactly that and joins me to chat about working with Gen Z.

Hannah was introduced to the entrepreneurial bug very early on. As the oldest of 7 in a family of entrepreneurs, she was encouraged to step out in fear and take chances. Her very first entrepreneurial experience was at the age of 12 when her father asked her to close a real estate deal. 

Talk about being thrown into the frying pan!

She graduated college at the age of 18 and spent the next 5 years in corporate America hearing leader after leader ask the same question, what is wrong with Millennials? Why can’t we recruit them and why can’t we keep them? 

The research shows that the generation in question was less in relation to millennials and more with Gen Z. Listen as she shares her insights and what recent data shows about the needs and wants of Gen Z and what leaders should do to attract this dynamic new generation. 

Show Notes:

  • [01:03] Welcome back to the show and another amazing guest.
  • [03:10] Meet Hannah Williams and learn more about her entrepreneurial journey.
  • [06:16] How she got into what she does today. 
  • [07:50] Why she wrote a book about her research and who it is for.
  • [10:31] What is Gen Z looking for and how should leaders go about recruiting them? 
  • [13:08] 62% of Gen Z goes to friends and family for job opportunities. 
  • [15:33] Are leaders shocked by the new data? 
  • [16:50] One practical tip for leaders and businesses everywhere. 
  • [19:38] Gen Z’ers are looking for authentic connection and content. 
  • [21:41] Hannah shares one of her AHA moments. 
  • [24:26] It’s important to point out the things that can be improved as well as the things that are going well. 
  • [25:33] Hear her last little bit of advice for the Women Worldwide community. 
  • [28:49] Gen Z takes Millennial thoughts to a new level. 
  • [30:14] Connect with Hannah. 

Links and Resources:

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Direct download: WW333.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

It’s easy to be calm when you’re on vacation, but what can you do to set your level to calm when you’re in stressful situations? Listen in to hear three easy ways to do exercises that will take you from anxious to calm in minutes. 

First, grab a pad, pen, and timer. Give yourself 60 seconds before your next meeting, interview, presentation, whatever you’re facing, and write down all the words that are floating through your head. Once the 60 seconds are up, tear out the page from your journal and rip it up. 

You’ve just released the thoughts that are crowding your mind and making space for the next exercise. 

Practice intentional breathing. I like to use the box method which looks like this: 

Breathe in for 4 seconds…

Hold your breath for 4 seconds…

Breathe out for 4 seconds…

Hold your breath for 4 seconds…

Do this intentional breathwork for a few rounds or until you can feel your body relaxing. This is a great way to reset your body and mind and help bring your anxiety or fear back down. 

Once you’ve got the breathwork down, add in a little acupressure. Use your index finger and thumb of one hand to massage down the index finger of the other hand as you breathe, then go back up with your exhale. 

Continue this with all of your fingers on both hands. 

Let me know if these exercises work for you. Stressful situations don’t have to ruin your calm. Just try these practices and set your level back to calm.

Show Notes:

  • [01:00] Welcome back to the show and get ready to be calm. 
  • [01:53] Grab a pad and pen and give yourself one minute before important moments to write out your thoughts. 
  • [02:55] Take time for intentional breath. 
  • [04:04] Learn to breathe and apply some acupressure to your fingers. 
  • [05:40] Let me know if these tips and tricks work to set your level to calm. 

Links and Resources:

FOLLOW ME AT:

Direct download: WW332_V2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

If you’ve listened to the show for long, you know that I am an avid reader. I am constantly reading multiple books and learning so much about the world and business. Which is why I like to stop and share what I’m reading with you when I’m able. 

During this election there was so much talk of “Lincoln’s Party” that I decided I needed to learn more about President Lincoln. I grabbed With Malice Toward None by Stephen B. Oates and was fascinated by our former president’s life and trials and how he managed to lead our country in a time of huge change. 

I also love to learn about ways to create a more powerful mind. I grabbed Maximize Your Potential Through the Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Dr. Joseph Murphy because I’d previously read, The Power of the Subconscious Mind by Dr. Joseph Murphy and I love the way he approaches becoming more mentally aware. 

Listen in to hear all of my recommendations. I have read so many books this year so far, but this list is by far my favorite. I try really hard to read different kinds of books so that I’m not always stuck in business mode and this year I’ve definitely accomplished that. 

What are you reading? 

Women Worldwide goes on vacation. Have a wonderful summer! 

Show Notes:

  • [01:09] I am solo again and I’m sharing all the reading that I’ve been doing.
  • [02:02] In light of the election, I decided I needed to learn more about President Lincoln.
  • [02:54] I’ve loved reading about how to Maximize Your Potential Through the Power of the Subconscious Mind
  • [03:51] I’ve also been reading Poor Charlie’s Almanac to learn more about the wisdom behind finance. 
  • [05:51] One of my favorite books that I’ve read in 2021 is the Digital Pivot
  • [07:35] A quick shout out to several other books that I thought were really good.

Links and Resources:

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Direct download: WW331.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

After spending 10 years as a stay-at-home mom, Corina Burton felt as if she’d lost a part of herself. She rejoined the workforce and created two businesses but they just didn’t seem to fit. She didn’t quit. She kept going. Now she is the founder and owner of multiple successful businesses and she’s sharing how she did it. 

At one time she worked for the jewelry company Swarovski. What she learned there was invaluable. She was already great at building relationships, but she quickly learned that strong relationships result in more sales. 

As a mother to three young girls, she didn’t have the time after hours to schmooze her clients. Instead, she became a top sales rep by creating strong relationships with even stronger boundaries. 

Now that she has multiple businesses under her belt, in the construction industry no less, she knows that her ability to forge relationships is her superpower. 

Listen as she shares her story and why even today she’s continuing to make connections and foster relationships. Failure is a stepping stone. As long as you keep moving you’ll find your path.

Show Notes:

  • [02:13] Welcome Corina Burton to share her story and why the construction industry.
  • [05:07] Her first entrepreneurial experience fell a bit flat. Learn how she continued. 
  • [07:25] Failure does not mean that you’ve failed. It’s a stepping stone.
  • [10:24] Why has she always applied relationship building to her sales repertoire?
    [13:20] Learn about the client rather than selling them things. 
  • [15:53] Owning her values is how Corina built the foundation for her own company.
  • [18:31] How can you get to the heart of your why? 
  • [20:43] Find a way to be a “problem solution” in your industry and fully understand your solution.
  • [22:14] Corina shares an AHA moment she has had in her career. 
  • [25:26] Her advice for putting your relationships to work for you. 
  • [27:34] Connect with Corina. 

Links and Resources:

Direct download: WW330.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

With all the changes in the role women play in society over the last several decades, new archetypes need to be explored. The traditional archetypes are extremely outdated which is why Stephanie Raffelock has written her latest book, Creatrix Rising.

She joins me on Women Worldwide to share her story and inspire women all over the world.

In light of the Women’s March, #MeToo, and the general shift in the power and purpose women have and play in the world, new ways of looking at the world are emerging. Women no longer, if they ever, identify with the roles of the maiden, mother and crone to describe their life and purpose.

More than any other generation, women today are encouraged to share their stories. But how should they go about it? Blast them on social media? Share in small social groups? Create movements? 

This is what Stephanie is helping women to do. Share their stories in a way that is authentic and helps others to do the same. 

Show Notes:

  • [02:36] Welcome Stephanie Raffelock to share about her journey to becoming an author. 
  • [04:10] What are some big takeaways for readers? 
  • [06:25] How Stephanie landed on the title of her book and why it appeals more to women today.
  • [08:12] Where do the younger generations fall into this new canon? 
  • [09:45] Stephanie shares where we can begin to share our stories as women. 
  • [11:42] Why would someone choose not to share their story? 
  • [13:05] How should women be sharing their stories? 
  • [14:51] Authenticity is born of vulnerability. 
  • [15:48] Stephanie shares some AHA moments in her personal and professional life. 
  • [17:54] What keeps her motivated in these crazy, changing times? 
  • [18:37] Where does she find her own sense of peace? 
  • [20:23] How does she destress? 
  • [22:04] What can women do to start sharing their stories? 
  • [22:38] Connect with Stephanie.

Links and Resources:

Direct download: WW329.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Did you know that women have more testosterone in their body than estrogen? That’s right! We do. But there are no FDA approved drugs for women’s testosterone replacement and most of our estrogen replacements are ineffective. What does that mean for women going through menopause? 

Dr. Angela DeRosa has been studying women’s health for over 25 years, but it wasn’t until she went through menopause at age 35 that she realized how lacking our knowledge is about women’s hormones. 

She joins me today to share her experiences and what women everywhere need to know about their own health and hormones. You know your body better than anyone. If you’re having adverse symptoms or simply know something is wrong, keep questioning until you get an answer.

This was a fantastic discussion with an amazing woman who is pushing for more research in women’s health. Every woman, no matter their age, needs to take a minute and listen in to learn more about what you can do to advocate for your own health. 

Show Notes:

  • [02:47] How did she find herself on the road to being a doctor specializing in women’s health? 
  • [04:24] Why would menopause start at an early age? 
  • [05:40] What sorts of signs and symptoms should women look out for regarding menopause? 
  • [07:57] There is a huge gap in hormone research and therapies for women’s testosterone deficiencies. 
  • [10:05] Does the average woman's physician know these details regarding hormone replacement needs? 
  • [12:40] How has the response to pre and perimenopause changed over time? 
  • [14:39] Where can women find good resources to learn more about their experiences? 
  • [16:38] Has she had any major learning moments as she’s moved through her career? 
  • [18:45] How does she approach managing stress especially when going through menopause? 
  • [21:17] Dr. Angela shares her final parting advice for all women. 
  • [23:40] Connect with Dr. Angela. 

Links and Resources:

Direct download: WW328.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Laughter is unbelievably important in your life and career. It relieves stress, provides a feeling of wellbeing and positivity, and has been proven to help human beings live longer. For all of these reasons, Elaine Williams and Kathy Keegan came together to create the Still Human podcast and to share the message of laughter with others. 

Elaine is an award-winning comedian and speaker who has appeared on SNL, America’s Got Talent and so many more shows and series. She has been actively helping others to laugh more throughout her career but when she met up with Kathy she knew that there was more. 

Kathy is a coach and speaker who has dedicated her life and career to helping others find their joy. Not only does she help her clients develop confidence in their ability to speak and present, she helps them find joy in the process. 

When Kathy and Elaine met up they knew they could do more together. They both have experienced very similar life paths and decided to take their experiences to the next level to create a larger impact. 

Listen as they share their story and provide us all with insights and advice that is absolutely invaluable. They have such a wonderful take on life and work and they’ve built a business dedicated to helping others find their own passion and happiness. 

Are you ready to infuse more laughter into your life and work?  

Show Notes:

  • [01:50] Learn all about Elaine Williams and Kathy Keegan.
  • [03:06] Kathy shares how they met up and started working together and Elaine dives into how their podcast came about. 
  • [05:40] Did they know anything about podcasting before starting their own? 
  • [07:17] Is there a way to help others shift into laughter and lighten the load? 
  • [08:57] Have they experienced any challenges along the way? 
  • [12:02] Elaine talks about the topics that they dig into with their guests and for their audience.
  • [14:47] Kathy and Elaine share their AHA moments while starting and building their podcast. 
  • [18:42] How do they approach and alleviate their stressors? 
  • [22:50] Elaine shares her parting advice for the community. 
  • [23:48] Kathy gives her advice as well. 
  • [25:03] Connect with Elaine and Kathy.

Links and Resources:

Elaine Williams: 

Kathy Keegan: 

Direct download: WW327.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

What would you do if you or your spouse was suddenly completely incapacitated by a rare but highly devastating disease? If your answer is, “I don’t know,” then you are completely normal. Unfortunately for Molly Weisgram, she found out the hard way. 

Just a few short years ago, Molly had recently had her fourth child and she and her husband were settling into a new routine. One day he started experiencing tingling and numbness in his extremities and within days he was completely paralyzed.

They found out that he had Guillain-Barre Syndrome and that they were going to be on a lifelong path toward health and recovery. Through learning what she and her kids could handle and keeping up the positivity needed to help speed recovery, Molly knew she was going to have to write it all down.

She has since authored, The Other Side of Us, her memoir documenting the struggles and wins of their experience. Listen as she shares her journey and her advice for anyone facing the same or similar situation. Plus she details why and how she helped her kids process all of their emotions through this time as well.

Show Notes:

  • [02:32] Welcome Molly Weisgram to the show and learn what pushed her to write her new book. 
  • [03:30] What does she want readers to know and to take away from her book? 
  • [04:56] Learn more about the medical crisis her family has faced and how it has impacted them. 
  • [07:50] People can come back from this diagnosis but it looks different for everyone. 
  • [08:46] What was going on in her mind as she faced this trauma? 
  • [11:55] How old were her children when all of this started? 
  • [13:48] Did her spiritual studies help her process through this experience? 
  • [15:10] Molly shares how she and her husband reframed the situation and how her husband is doing now.
  • [18:05] How did she deal with stress during these times? 
  • [21:41] Why she wanted to show her kids how to process the trauma in a healthy way.
  • [23:01] Her parting advice regarding trauma, truth, and restoration.
  • [24:00] Connect with Molly.

Links and Resources:

Direct download: WW326.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

If you’ve been working at your business for a while and are thinking about scaling through bringing in investors, keep listening. Brett Hickey is an investing guru and helps small business owners find the right investment partners. He’s sharing his knowledge and how he got started in this industry. 

Brett has been structuring, analyzing, and managing funds for over a decade. Before founding Star Mountain Capital he worked with a variety of financial institutions growing his knowledge and building his experience in managing different kinds of funds, businesses, and investments. 

He specifically loves working within the lower middle market and helping businesses scale through investment. He’s sharing all about this particular market and why it is so attractive to him overall. 

Listen as he shares more about his journey and why he has found and nurtured so much passion for the investing world. He didn’t always know that this was the direction his career would take but he’s certainly found his lane within the industry. 

Are you trying to decide whether or not finding investors is the next right step? Get your notebook ready and take notes as you dive into this episode.

Show Notes:

  • [02:49] Welcome Brett Hickey to chat about his journey to becoming an asset manager.
  • [03:41] What is the “lower middle market” and why is it so interesting in the investment space? 
  • [06:19] How does he determine which businesses fit into the lower middle market? 
  • [08:54] Has he had any AHA! moments in his career?
  • [12:39] How does he deal with stress in his life? 
  • [17:37] Does he have mentors and people that he looks to for support? 
  • [21:58] Brett offers his parting advice to the community. 
  • [23:58] Connect with Brett. 

Links and Resources:


Note from Star Mountain Capital: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. All investments involve risk including the loss of principal. This interview does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase interests in any fund, note, separately managed account, or other product managed. Any decision to invest in a Product should be made after reviewing the relevant Product Offering Documentation, conducting such investigations as the investor deems necessary, and consulting the investor’s own financial, legal, accounting, and tax advisors in order to make an independent determination of the suitability and consequences of an investment in such Product.

This interview contains certain forward-looking statements, including those relating to future financial expectations, which may be identified by the use of such words as “believe, “anticipate," ”should," ”planned," ”estimated," ”potential," ”outlook," ”forecast,“ and other similar terms. Such statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, general and local economic conditions, changing levels of competition within certain industries and markets, changes in interest rates, changes in legislation or regulation, and other economic, competitive, governmental, regulatory and technological factors, any or all of which could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results.

An investment in any Product will involve significant risks due to, among other things, the illiquid, highly speculative nature of the investments Investors must be able to withstand a total loss of their investment. There is no public market for the Products, and interests therein generally will not be transferable. For more detailed information on the risks involved with an investment in a Product, please refer to the Risk Factors Section of the Product Offering Documentation.

Direct download: WW325.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Emily Rapp Black is back on the show to share all about her journey to self-love and acceptance through writing her most recent book, Frida Kahlo and My Left Leg. She is an author and creative writing professor who is helping others by sharing her own experience and expertise. 

Her most recent book was imagined after she spent time at the Frida Kahlo museum. Their shared experience with life-long pain and disability spoke to her and she felt the need to share more about her own story. 

She joins me today to chat about her newest book and why she was driven to reveal even more about her life. The path to self-love and acceptance is not straight. It’s truly a journey that we are living out each and every day. 

It’s perfectly normal to find yourself backsliding into self-doubt, but you should have ways to get back on track. Her latest book digs deep into the journey and ways to keep yourself moving forward in your journey. 

Listen in to hear more about Emily’s story, what she’s up to next, and why if you feel a book in you, you should write it. She truly believes we all have a story to tell, but writing a book takes time and dedication. Do you have the willpower to share your own journey?

Show Notes:

  • [02:51] Why did she write Frida Kahlo and My Left Leg?
  • [05:23] What did she want readers to take away from the book? 
  • [07:23] How did Frida Kahlo help Emily on her own journey to self-love and acceptance? 
  • [10:00] Her thoughts on getting back on track if you’ve fallen off the path toward accepting yourself.
  • [11:19] Where did her awareness of Frida Kahlo begin? 
  • [13:16] What did she learn about herself in writing this new book? 
  • [15:15] Emily shares her thoughts on similar character traits she shares with Frida. 
  • [17:21] Does she think that everyone has a story or book in them? 
  • [18:23] Would it benefit aspiring writers to take classes and work on their skill? 
  • [19:52] What is the best part of writing memoirs and what does she still struggle with? 
  • [21:42] Her advice for those of us who are ready to start on the writing journey.
  • [22:14] Connect with Emily.

Links and Resources:

Direct download: WW324.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT