Episodes

Ever stayed quiet because you were afraid of sounding awkward—then replayed what you should have said all afternoon? In this Quick Lift, Betsy shares the biggest takeaways from her conversation with Henna Pryor about building confidence, moving through uncomfortable moments, and making sure your good intentions actually come across. Because speaking up is one step. Getting your message to land is another. You’ll learn: Why feeling awkward doesn’t mean you’re an awkward person. How small “soci...

Worried you’ll sound awkward if you speak up? You don’t need to feel confident first—but you do need to know how to recover and make your message land. In this episode of Loud & Lifted, Betsy talks with workplace performance expert, keynote speaker and author Henna Pryor about the awkward moments that keep us quiet, make us second-guess ourselves and leave us replaying a conversation long after everyone else has moved on. Drawing on her books Good Awkward and The Signal Gap, Henna explains how to build the confidence to speak up—and why good intentions don’t always translate into trust. We unpack the small communication habits that can make people doubt us, including overly polished messages, rushed responses and reassurance that skips over what people are actually feeling. For women navigating leadership, asking for more or having a conversation they’ve been avoiding, this episode offers practical ways to move through the discomfort and communicate with greater credibility.…

You want to support your team—but could you be micromanaging without realizing it? Being in every meeting and making every decision might be keeping your people—and you—from growing. In this Quick Lift, Betsy shares practical takeaways from her conversation with Lia Garvin, author of The New Manager Playbook, about becoming a better manager, communicating clearly, and giving your team room to succeed. You’ll learn How to recognize micromanaging habits you might be overlooking. How to give your team more ownership without losing accountability. Why unclear expectations can look like a lack of urgency. How to lead consistently when you’re under pressure. How to make one-on-ones more useful for your team’s growth.

You don’t want to be a micromanager. But if every meeting, decision and deadline needs you, could you be getting in your team’s way? We’ve talked a lot on Loud & Lifted about dealing with bad bosses. This time, we’re flipping the conversation: how do you make sure you aren’t becoming one? Betsy sits down with team management expert and author of The New Manager Playbook, Lia Garvin, to unpack the habits that can quietly undermine your team—even when you’re trying to be helpful. From sitting in every meeting to holding onto work your best people are ready to take on, Lia shares three signs of micromanaging and what to do instead. Whether you’re managing people for the first time or have been leading for years, this conversation offers practical ways to delegate, set clear expectations and build trust without being involved in everything. Because being great at your job and helping other people succeed are two different skills. You’ll learn: How to recognize three signs y…

You got the promotion. You earned your seat. So why do you still feel like you have to prove you belong? In this Quick Lift, I’m sharing key takeaways from my conversation with Shannon Nutter, author of Walking on Broken Glass. We’ll unpack why success doesn’t erase the double standards women face—and what you can do when hard work alone isn’t moving you forward. From asking better questions about vague feedback to understanding the politics of advancement and backing other women up, this episode turns a frustrating reality into practical steps you can use this week. Listen to the full conversation with Shannon Nutter on Loud & Lifted.

What happens after a woman breaks through the glass ceiling—and finds herself walking on broken glass? Shannon Nutter is a longtime financial services executive, board member and co-author of Walking on Broken Glass: Navigating the Aftermath of the Glass Ceiling. After decades of working in male-dominated industries and holding senior leadership roles, Shannon knows firsthand how quickly a successful woman can go from being valued to being viewed as a threat. In this conversation, we unpack what workplace bias actually looks like, why accomplished women often question their own experiences and how the story around a woman’s leadership can suddenly begin to change. This isn’t a conversation about blaming, complaining or telling women to fix themselves. It’s about recognizing the warning signs, understanding the dynamics happening around us and being better prepared to respond. We talk about: What happens after women break through the glass ceiling How workplace bias and…

So many women were taught to be nice, helpful, agreeable and easy to work with. Those qualities aren’t bad—but they become a problem when they keep us quiet, overextended or afraid to disappoint anyone. In this Quick Lift, Betsy recaps her conversation with Michelle Minnikin about “Good Girl” conditioning, why people may resist when we begin to change, and how to set boundaries without believing we’ve become cold, difficult or selfish.

Were you taught to be nice, helpful, agreeable and easy to work with—only to end up overworked, undervalued and quietly resentful? In this episode, Betsy talks with psychologist, coach and Good Girl Deprogramming author Michelle Minnikin about the conditioning that teaches women to put everyone else first. They unpack how it follows us into the workplace, why traditional career advice often fails women and how being the “good girl” can eventually hold us back. Michelle also explains why resentment is one of the clearest signs that a boundary has been crossed, how to begin changing these patterns through small experiments and what it really means to enter your villain era—without becoming someone you’re not. You’ll learn: How good-girl conditioning shows up at work Why being capable and agreeable can lead to more work, but not more opportunity How to recognize when your boundaries are being crossed Why resentment is an important signal instead of something to ignore How…

Episode Overview: If you’re the person everyone relies on, it can start to feel completely normal to carry way too much. In this Quick Lift, I’m breaking down the biggest takeaways from my conversation with Cherylanne Skolnicki about the peak of complexity, why capable women become the default person at work and at home, and how to start changing that without lowering your ambition or your standards. You’ll learn: Why your old way of managing life may not work anymore How to spot the invisible load taking up your time, energy and headspace Why “I can do this” is different from “I should do this” The four things that make letting go hard: guilt, FOMO, judgment and control How to think about delegation differently Why a real boundary is something you can uphold The question to ask yourself: Am I uniquely qualified to do this? The goal is not to overhaul your whole life. It’s to start getting more intentional about what actually needs to stay yours.

At some point, being the woman who can handle everything stops feeling impressive and starts feeling exhausting. In this episode, I’m talking with Cherylanne Skolnicki, founder of Brilliant Balance, about what she calls the peak of complexity—that season when your career is demanding more, your family is demanding more, your ambition is still very much alive…and your available capacity is basically gone. We talk about why the same operating system that helped us climb professionally eventually stops working, why so many women become the default person for everyone and everything, and why letting go can bring up guilt, judgment, FOMO and a whole lot of control issues. Cherylanne also shares practical ways to start changing the pattern—without lowering your standards, losing your ambition or waiting for life to magically calm down. You’ll learn: Why successful women hit a “peak of complexity” How to rethink your week when there’s no time left over for you The four emoti…

You are exhausted. You cannot sleep. Your anxiety feels higher. Your focus is off. And suddenly you are wondering why things that used to feel manageable now seem so much harder. It might be stress. But what if it is not just stress? In this Quick Lift, Betsy shares the key takeaways from her conversation with Dr. Caissa Troutman about perimenopause, leadership and why women can mistakenly interpret very real symptoms as a loss of capability. This is not a medical deep dive. It is the girlfriend version of what women need to know: what to pay attention to, why brain fog and poor sleep can affect confidence at work, when to seek support and why powering through is not always the answer. You’ll learn: Why perimenopause symptoms are so easily mistaken for stress or burnout How poor sleep, anxiety and brain fog can affect confidence and credibility at work Why perimenopause often collides with some of women’s biggest career years Why “normal” does not mean you have to…

Perimenopause often arrives during the exact years women are leading teams, running businesses, pursuing promotions and managing enormous responsibilities at work and at home. But many women do not recognize what is happening. They blame the anxiety on stress. The exhaustion on their schedule. The 3:00 a.m. wake-ups on everything running through their minds. And because they are not having hot flashes, they dismiss perimenopause as a possible explanation. In this episode, Betsy sits dow...

Silencing yourself does not always mean staying quiet. Sometimes it means agreeing when you have a different opinion, putting everyone else’s needs ahead of your own or becoming so focused on keeping everything running that you lose touch with what you think and want. In this Quick Lift, Betsy shares the key takeaways from her conversation with Elaine Lin Hering and practical ways to begin rebuilding your voice. You’ll learn: • The subtle ways women silence themselves • Two questions th...

What if you are not struggling to speak up because you lack confidence—but because you have spent years learning to stay silent? Elaine Lin Hering, author of Unlearning Silence, joins Betsy to explore how women withhold their opinions, needs, goals and emotions to make life easier for everyone around them. That silence may earn you a reputation as agreeable, helpful and easy to work with, but it can also leave you feeling overlooked, exhausted and disconnected from who you are. Elaine shares why women often lose touch with what they think and need, how narrow expectations around leadership and executive presence silence talented people, and why your perspective becomes one of your greatest professional assets as you advance. You’ll learn: How learned silence shows up beyond simply staying quiet Why women are often rewarded for being agreeable and easy to work with How narrow definitions of leadership and executive presence silence talented people Why your perspective be…

What should you do when another woman is excluding, undermining, or damaging your confidence at work? In this Quick Lift, Betsy shares the key takeaways and action steps from her conversation with Vanessa Vershaw, author of The Sisterhood Paradox. She explores how to tell the difference between workplace conflict and a repeated pattern of bullying, why women often minimize harmful behavior, and how to get clarity before the situation begins affecting the way you see yourself. Betsy also shares practical ways to document what is happening, seek an objective perspective, evaluate whether the workplace is likely to change, and begin building an exit strategy when necessary. And because this conversation cannot only be about the women who have hurt us, she challenges all of us to look more honestly at how we support, include, compete with, and speak about other women. Real support is not avoiding conflict. It is choosing to handle it differently.

We talk a lot about the boys’ club. But what happens when the person making work harder for a woman is another woman? In this honest and thought-provoking conversation, Betsy sits down with organizational psychologist, leadership expert, and author Vanessa Vershaw to explore The Sisterhood Paradox—the complicated reality of women undermining, excluding, and sometimes bullying other women at work. Vanessa explains why these experiences are often difficult to recognize and even harder to talk about. She shares the difference between a difficult colleague and a true workplace bully, why exclusion can be one of the most damaging forms of aggression, and what women can do when the person targeting them holds more power. They also discuss why “women supporting women” cannot simply be a slogan, the importance of accountability, and what it will take to build stronger and more honest support systems for women. Because the boys’ club may be real. But women still have work to do to …

Career pivots sound exciting until you are actually living through one. The uncertainty. The second-guessing. The loss of routine or identity. The pressure to quickly prove that you made the right decision. In this Quick Lift, Betsy shares the biggest takeaways from her conversation with Trish Barber, author of Why Women Pivot, along with practical action steps for anyone navigating a career change, reinvention, or unexpected new chapter. This episode is a reminder that feeling unsure does not mean you are failing—and that you do not have to have the entire path figured out before taking your next step.

Career pivots can look exciting from the outside. A new job. A new business. A fresh start. But behind the announcement is often fear, uncertainty, financial pressure and the uncomfortable question: Who am I without my old title? In this episode of Loud & Lifted, Betsy talks with Trish Barber, author of Why Women Pivot, about what it really takes to make a career change—whether the pivot is your choice or one you never saw coming. They discuss how to know when it is time for a change, how to identify the work that energizes you, how to rebuild your identity beyond a company or job title and how to talk confidently about your next chapter. Trish also shares why every woman needs a personal advisory board made up of people who will challenge her, encourage her and help her navigate what comes next. In this episode: • How to know when a difficult season has become a sign that it is time to leave • Why career pivots are rarely clear or linear • How to identify you…

Sometimes we’re not stuck on the decision. We’re avoiding the conversation that comes after it. In this Quick Lift, Betsy breaks down one of the biggest takeaways from her conversation with Kasey D’Amato: the hard conversation sitting underneath the big decision. You’ll learn how to name the real issue, use Kasey’s head-heart-gut framework to get clear, recognize when busyness is actually avoidance, and prepare to have the conversation without over-explaining, over-apologizing, or trying t...

Most of us don't actually have a decision problem — we have an avoidance problem. There's one conversation, with one person, that we keep dodging, and it's the reason we're spinning our wheels. This week, Betsy sits down with Kasey D'Amato — a physician assistant turned founder who built and exited a company that went global, and now advises CEOs and executive teams on the big calls: pivots, partnerships, hiring, firing, exits. What you'll take away: The head, heart, gut test for makin...

We know we should set boundaries at work. So why do so many of us keep saying yes when every part of us wants to say no? In this Loud & Lifted Quick Lift, Betsy breaks down four powerful truths from her conversation with Carrie, founder of Hey Work Friend and a former corporate HR leader. You’ll learn why your nervous system may be working against you when you try to push back, the three-step script that makes workplace boundaries easier to communicate, and how to approach HR strategically when you’re dealing with a toxic manager or unhealthy workplace dynamic. In this Quick Lift: ▪ Why people-pleasing at work may actually be a nervous-system response ▪ The three-step formula for setting a clear, professional boundary ▪ How to reset a boundary when you didn’t handle it well the first time ▪ What to document before going to HR ▪ Why toxic managers often don’t change ▪ The real health cost of chronic workplace overload ▪ How to stop confusing constant availab…

Women in leadership are often praised for being helpful, dependable, and willing to take on more. Until “more” turns into burnout. In this episode of Loud & Lifted, Betsy sits down with Carrie of Hey Work Friend, an HR professional turned workplace truth-teller who helps employees navigate boundaries, toxic bosses, burnout, and the conversations we all wish came with a script. Carrie brings the inside scoop from years in corporate HR, and she does not sugarcoat it: HR is not your friend, toxic bosses often do not change, and working yourself into the ground will not protect you from layoffs, bad leadership, or burnout. And this conversation gets real. Carrie shares how she worked seven days a week out of fear, pushed through pain, ignored her own health, and eventually developed an autoimmune disorder — only to be laid off while on medical leave. It is the kind of story too many high-achieving women know in some version: giving everything to a job that was never going t…

You were sold a plan: do great work, stay dependable, don't make noise, and someone will notice. It doesn't work that way — and the conversation with Roxy Couse named exactly why. In this Quick Lift, Betsy pulls the four sharpest truths from that episode and gets honest about what each one looks like from inside the rooms where promotion decisions actually get made: why hard work is the price of admission and not the strategy, why being invisible keeps you out of the conversation no matter how good you are, why your manager can't be your whole career, and why you genuinely cannot outwork a bad boss. Each truth comes with one move you can make this week — not a worksheet, not ten habits, just one. Because awareness doesn't change anything. The first move does. For the woman who's done everything right and is still wondering why she feels stuck.

Roxy Couse has built a platform by saying the quiet parts of corporate life out loud. The career lies. The unspoken rules. The bad bosses. The pressure to be "authentic" at work while still somehow being polished, agreeable, visible, strategic, collaborative, ambitious, and not "too much." Cute little list, right? In this episode of Loud & Lifted, Roxy brings her signature mix of corporate hard truths, workplace humor, and practical career strategy to a conversation about what it really takes to get ahead — without losing yourself in the process. Her message is clear: hard work alone will not save your career. We talk about why performance doesn't automatically lead to promotion, why visibility matters more than most women want to admit, and why personal branding isn't just an online thing — it's how people understand your value before you're even in the room. Roxy gets into the hard truth about bad bosses, why you can't outwork one, workplace mean girls, career ownership,…