Episode 110: Stress and the Benefits of Being Outside

“I love that we don’t really tend to think of nature as being kind of gender neutralizing or equalizing, and it can be.”

— Florence Williams

florence williams

In this show I talk to science writer Florence Williams, author of The Nature Fix, about how spending time outside can help lower our stress levels and allow us to gain perspective on daily problems. Most of us live and work in urban environments, spending hours a day in front of a screen. Nothing could be less natural. In this show we talk about how spending time outdoors can improve our lives in multiple ways, and how women can benefit even more than men.

You can also read a transcript of the show.

Episode 109: Ambition on Hold

“I really have tried to stop measuring my own value from what other people think...I have come to a place where I’ve stopped feeling bad about not having ambition right now.”

— Tess Vigeland

Tess at the pinnawala elephant orphanage in sri lanka

In this show we reunite with Tess Vigeland, one of the guests on my most popular show to date - Redefining Success. Within a few years Tess quit a longtime job as a national radio host, wrote a book, got divorced and set off to travel the world.

Tess at borobudur temple, indonesia, with local young people

She had always been fueled by ambition, and lots of it. She also valued herself mostly through her job. We talk about how her attitude to ambition, success and office politics has changed in the 18 months she's been on the road. 

You can read more by and about Tess at her site, Tess Untethered. Her book is Leap: Leaving a Job with No Plan B to Find the Career and Life You Really Want.

Thanks to former guest and sponsor of this episode Joanna Bloor. Check out her services - and get a 10 percent discount on coaching - at JoannaBloor.com.

You can also read a transcript of the show.

Episode 108: Conservative Women Speak Up

“Don’t discriminate against me in the workplace just because I’m conservative or a Christian. Get to know me and get to know my fellow conservatives.”

— Jennifer Szambecki

JenNIFER SZAMBECKI

“If I’m gonna work I’m gonna pursue a career and do it with everything that I am. And if I do have that opportunity to switch lanes and become a stay at home mom, I’ll pursue that with everything that I am.”

— Becky Davidson

Becky Davidson

America is politically divided, and women with different views are not talking to eachother. In this show we hear from two conservative women about their lives and views on politics, feminism, and being an out conservative in a liberal workplace.

And we meet Lauren Leader-Chivée of All In Together, a lifelong liberal who's set on getting both groups of women to enter politics for the good of democracy.

Lauren Leader-Chivee

You can also read a transcript of the show.

Episode 107: Expect the Unexpected

“Things have just happened that have turned my life in a totally different direction than I ever planned on.”

— Lauren Tucker

Lauren Tucker

Lauren Tucker was like a lot of other women who've been working in corporate life for years - itching to go out on her own. So she did. But things didn't turn out the way she expected. In this show we talk about dashed hopes, reinvention in a new place, why diversity in the ad business still sucks, and caring for your parents when everything around you is falling apart.  

You can also read a transcript of the show. 

Here you'll find the first Broad Experience episode Lauren appeared in.

Episode 106: Authenticity vs. Conformity (re-release)

“You just don’t know what path to follow. Should I be more deferential? Well, but isn’t the fact that I’m outspoken and focused and determined why I’ve been successful so far?”

— Lauren Tucker

Going up?

Authenticity is a buzzword that crops up a lot. We're all meant to 'be ourselves' at work. But how realistic a goal is that for women, really?

In this show, originally released in 2014, I speak to Sylvia Ann Hewlett, author of the book Executive Presence. Sylvia says women have to find the right balance of being themselves and having the perfect combination of gravitas, communication skills and appearance to get to the top. Lauren Tucker is pretty much there. Still, she says meshing her forthright personality with the workplace is no picnic, even at her level. And why should she even have to try?

We'll hear from Lauren Tucker again on an upcoming show. 

For a transcript of this show go to the original show page.

Episode 105: The Assistant

“You need to have serious ambition but on behalf of the person you’re supporting, not on behalf of yourself.”

— Jessica Williams

Jessica Williams

“I want to be so much better at what I do...I’m very content to support a person who’s in charge, and having them trust me and know that I’ve got their back.”

— Janel Wallace

Janel Wallace

A few years ago I found out the most popular job for women in America is the same as it was in the 1950s - administrative assistant, or secretary. I was shocked. How could this be, in an era where women are more educated than men? Why are so many of us still working to support other people - mostly men - rather than pursuing something for ourselves?

I set out to tackle those questions in this show, and take a look at the assistant role as it exists now. Typing and dictation are largely out, while managing executives' lives and company projects are in. But traditional aspects of the job remain. This is a role women still flock to, and are sought for, while men are largely absent. 

My guests are Jessica Williams, who heads the recruitment firm Sidekicks in London, and Janel Wallace, an executive assistant at a global company based in the US. 

Further reading: Jessica Williams wrote this piece for the Guardian on tackling 'acceptable sexism' in her industry. 

This is an interview with Lynn Peril who wrote a book about the history of the profession called Swimming in the Steno Pool. 

You can also read a transcript of the show.