I’ve recently spent a lot of time in rooms of women. I’ve been a guest speaker at a couple of women’s retreats. I led my own women’s retreat. I’ve been to some incredible networking events for women. And, I just keep being reminded why it is so critical for women to be in rooms with other women. Women are facing epidemic levels of loneliness and isolation. Research from the Campaign to End Loneliness shows that women, more than men, report feelings of loneliness. We often don’t see other women in the roles we aspire to have. And, as we rise in leadership, we often don’t have many women sitting beside us.  

At the end of the day, everyone wants to feel seen, heard, held, and valued. Unfortunately, these are feelings that women don’t often experience at work. Frequently, our ideas are dismissed, ignored, or co-opted by men. We’re talked over, left out of conversations, and the social events where networking happens aren’t always accessible to those of us with caregiving roles. So, where do we go to get the support we need?

That’s where the power of being in rooms with other women comes in. When we gather with other women, we hear stories that reflect our own experiences, and that creates an undeniable sense of kinship and camaraderie. In these spaces, we’re free to ideate, brainstorm, and plan with confidence because we know we’re among those who will listen and champion us. We realize we’re not alone in navigating a world that wasn’t designed for us to thrive in—and that realization is incredibly empowering.

In this episode, I explore how women can create spaces of support, share strategies for success, and build networks that lift each other up. When women come together, magic happens—and that magic starts by getting in the room.

Tune in to learn:

• Why women are lonelier than men and how leadership roles often exacerbate isolation
• The importance of finding spaces where you can feel seen, heard, and valued
• How being in rooms with other women can spark ideation, support, and shared success

Don't miss this powerful conversation on the importance of women creating and finding spaces where we can thrive together.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While I’m not much of a history buff, I am fascinated by humans and human behavior - even ancient human behavior. So, when presented with the opportunity to examine historical models of leadership in my Masters of Organizational Leadership program, I was all in. 

In studying leadership models across centuries and then within the decades of the last 120 years, there are undeniable patterns of leadership that are mostly about power and dominance and almost exclusively about the power and dominance of men. 

In this episode, we will look at historical models of leadership which for centuries involved leaders who could easily be characterized as narcissists with their tyrannical, manipulative behavior in which they were commonly charming and gaslighting their followers, especially women, in equal proportion. It’s pretty fascinating to see how much of this behavior endures in leadership models today.  

When we look at these models of leadership, we can see how these depictions of leaders over time have continued to “inspire” models of leadership today. We have repeatedly created systems and structures of leadership that center leaders in roles to have power OVER their followers rather than power WITH their followers.  

Understanding the patterns present in these systems can be useful in addressing, disrupting, and dismantling the sexist power structures that commonly exist in these systems, even as we claim to have created new systems that include equal rights for all regardless of gender.  

This episode will open your eyes to how we are still very much settling for, if not embracing, aspects of historical models of leadership to the great detriment of women and people who carry marginalized identities. Yet, hope is not lost. There is still time to do better. And, we will. 

Link mentioned:

• Book: Burnout by Emily Nagoski, PhD and Amelia Nagoski, DMA

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I have been in countless rooms over the last few years where the person leading designates the space a “safe space”. This designation is usually given right before an invitation for people to share something that may require some level of vulnerability.

While I think the intentions of the folks saying this are good, I think there is actually more potential for harm than good when we deem a space a “safe space” without very seriously considering what creates actual safety for people and how tremendously one person’s needs for safety can vary from the next. We also need to recognize that anyone’s needs around safety can change on a day-to-day basis. So, it is not on a leader to claim a space as “safe” because there is no way a leader can guarantee actual safety.  

I always say that a space is only as safe as the person who feels the least amount of safety deems it to be.  

While we cannot guarantee safety, there are definitely steps we can take to build a culture of trust and psychological safety that can go a long way. If you’re looking to build a culture of safety there are a handful of things to consider.  

If I were to come into your organization and do a psychological safety audit of sorts, here are some things I would examine:

• How do people talk to each other
• How do people talk about each other
• How are mistakes handled
• How do leaders apologize and take ownership of their mistakes
• How is support demonstrated in good times and bad
• How are people given the opportunity to get to know one another as humans - not just coworkers with specific skill sets
• What routines and rituals are in place that build trust over time
• How transparent are leaders
• How accessible are leaders to all levels of team members
• What is the reputation of the HR department
• Does HR make it clear what reportable offenses are and how to report them

In this episode, I talk about steps you can take to build a foundation of trust and psychological safety so that when you are on the brink of asking people to share ideas or be vulnerable you don’t need to make a “safe space” announcement because safety is implied, felt, and held automatically.  

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” Maya Angelou

How you make people feel is a big responsibility as a leader. While you cannot control how others perceive and receive you, you can control how you attempt to engage and lead in positive, supportive, and authentic ways. 

The way you engage with the people you lead - from saying hello to delegating tasks to providing feedback to saying “Thank you” - matters.  

When I was in high school I was lucky enough to have a job where my very first boss, Karen, looked me in the eye and greeted me with a big smile every single day when I arrived at work. She made me feel important and like my contributions were significant even though my work was easily the least significant in the company.  

I loved working for Karen. I always knew where I stood with her. I knew I was doing a good job supporting her and the team. And, I knew she would let me know if I needed to course correct in a fumbly moment. I loved making her job just a little bit easier. 

I had several bosses who followed Karen who made me feel small, insignificant, and even invisible at times. I had no desire to prove myself to these leaders. In fact, sometimes I looked forward to brushing them off the same way they did me. I knew they didn’t deserve the best parts of me, so they didn’t get them. 

Great leaders' interactions with those whom they lead are consistently additive, meaning they add value to their day and their work.  

In this episode, I share the story of Karen vs Ross, my first two bosses who could not have been more opposite in their leadership. In hearing about these two vastly different leadership experiences, I think you will see how the smallest moments of leadership, like saying “Hi!”, can have a big impact on your leadership legacy.  

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a culture that values and rewards outward confidence and assertive communication, it’s not surprising that extroverts tend to rise to the top as leaders more predominantly than introverts. Extroverts are commonly outgoing, charismatic, and less socially inhibited than introverts in group settings. While this may sound grand if you were born an extrovert, the downside to extroversion is that extroverts can take up so much space, they don’t leave space for others. As leaders, extroverts can be dismissive of introverts and miss significant opportunities to pass the mic, open the floor to other voices, and allow others to feel seen, heard, and valued.

In this episode, I dig into some of the risks associated with extroverted leadership, from overbearing communication to lackluster listening skills to overlooking others to general impatience in team environments.  

I promise I’m not here to judge you. If you’re an extroverted leader who might be the loudest one in the room sometimes, know that I stand beside you. Sometimes I am you. Together, we can take our gifts and make them work for ourselves and for others. This will likely take some self-awareness and honing new skills. But, if you want to be an inclusive leader who holds space for everyone in the room, this is your job.  

As your self-awareness grows, you will likely realize that you have so many valuable lessons to learn from your introverted counterparts. Introverts often have the sage wisdom that you can’t quite harness in high-stress moments. They are keen observers who see things you and I don’t see. And, their ideas and opinions are often exactly the missing pieces you’ve been looking for - if you just get quiet enough to let them speak.  

Extroverted leaders can be more inclusive of introverts by adopting strategies that create space for different work styles, encourage diverse contributions, and foster a more balanced team dynamic. In this episode, I talk through specific strategies to foster safety and trust in order to create spaces where extroverts and introverts can communicate and thrive side by side. 

As extroverted leaders, we have a lot to say. But our ideas are not better and are not more important. Let’s make sure we are holding space for all voices so we may all benefit from everyone’s gifts.  

Link mentioned: 

• Join my September Influence & Ignite Retreat for small business owners: shamelessmom.com/retreat

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The difference in self-assurance between men and women, particularly in professional settings, is called the confidence gap. This gap describes how, despite equal or even greater competence, women tend to underestimate their abilities and hesitate to pursue leadership roles, promotions, or high-stakes opportunities compared to men.

In this powerful episode, I dive into the challenges women in leadership face when it comes to building and maintaining confidence. I examine how gender bias, social conditioning, and systemic barriers contribute to the confidence gap that impacts women leaders at every level.

A few of the reasons women leaders struggle with confidence:

• Gender Bias and Social Conditioning: Women are often subjected to cultural expectations and stereotypes that create unrealistic standards. This societal pressure fosters doubt, insecurity, and a lack of confidence in leadership roles.
• The Social Constructs of Imposter Syndrome and Perfectionism: Many women leaders struggle with worthiness, feeling as if they don’t deserve their success. Perfectionism compounds this, leading to a constant sense of inadequacy.
• Lack of Representation and Support: The scarcity of women in leadership positions results in fewer mentorship and sponsorship opportunities, leaving women feeling isolated and unsupported.
• Microaggressions: Everyday words, actions, and undermining behaviors perpetrated by those with more power than you that may seem minor, but over time, reflect an abusive environment that greatly erodes the confidence and well-being of women leaders.

Confidence doesn’t have to remain elusive. Together, we will unpack gender bias, social conditioning, and societal constructs that undermine women’s confidence while also exploring actionable strategies to overcome these obstacles. You will walk away from this episode ready to find a strong network of women leaders, take steps to own the confidence that is your birthright and practice new communication skills that allow you to not only shine more brightly but also feel more bright as you shine in your various roles in work and life.

Link mentioned: 

• Join my September Influence & Ignite Retreat for small business owners: shamelessmom.com/retreat

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership/sponsor

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Building a powerful and intentional personal leadership brand is essential to your leadership legacy. Whether you're an emerging leader or a leader looking to refine your current leadership style, this episode will give you actionable steps to create a personal leadership brand that aligns with your core values and allows you to make greater ripples of impact as you lead. We explore the following key questions to help guide your journey:

• What do you want to be known for as a leader?
• What legacy are you intentionally building right now?
• What are your current personal and leadership values, and how are you incorporating them into your work?

Here are 5 steps you can work through to build your personal leadership brand:

Identify the values you want to embody and uphold as a leader

Reflect on the values that matter most to you and how you want to embody them as a leader. These values will form the foundation of your personal leadership brand.

Determine how these values make you stand out as a leader

Understand how your unique values overlap with your strengths, talents, and gifts to differentiate you from other leaders.

Conduct a values assessment

Check in on how you are currently leading with your values and determine where there is room for growth to incorporate your values into your leadership in ways that allow your personal leadership brand to shine.

Take small steps to embody these values

Start making intentional choices that reflect the leader you want to be. Small, consistent actions over time build trust, likeability, and credibility. This is how you build your leadership capital over time.  

Practice pausing in high-stress moments

In times of pressure, take a breath and a pause to reflect on how you want to show up. In this pause, you have the chance to recall your values and make a decision through the lens of your values instead of high emotions. 

By taking the time to define what you stand for and practicing the embodiment of these values, you can craft a personal leadership brand that reflects your true identity and creates a lasting legacy.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessleadership.com/sponsor

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today is the day! The first episode of Shameless Leadership is LIVE. I couldn’t be more excited!  

In this first episode of Shameless Leadership, I dig into one of my very favorite topics: why women need to take up more space. This is a topic I have been passionate about for a long time now. In fact, you’ve likely heard me rant about it before. It feels like the perfect topic to kick off this new show for women leaders. 

Recent data overwhelmingly tells us that the number of women in leadership still doesn’t come close to representing the number of women in society. 

According to Leanin.org’s Women in the Workplace 2023 Report:

• Women represent roughly 1 in 4 C-suite leaders, and women of color just 1 in 16.
• Progress for early-career Black women remains the furthest out of reach. In 2023, for every 100 men promoted from entry-level to manager positions, only 54 Black women were promoted. After rising to 82 in 2020 and 96 in 2021, the promotion rate for Black women to manager has fallen back to lower than it was in 2019.
• Because of our “broken rung” system (described in this episode), in a typical company, men end up holding 60% of manager-level positions, while women hold just 40%. As a result, there are fewer women to be promoted to director, and the number of women decreases at every subsequent level.
• The impact of “microaggressions” experienced at work by women or any other marginalized group are anything but “micro”. In fact, they have a macro effect long term. 

If women are to occupy more leadership roles, we must start intentionally taking up more space. We must demand more space. In this episode, I share how women are socialized to shrink our bodies, hold back our ideas and opinions, and play small in all aspects of our lives. From there, I dig into specific steps you can take to start taking up more space and stop accepting without question the leadership, thoughts, and opinions of those who have more power than you (ie: men). 

If you’re ready to take up more space, use your voice in new ways, and take a seat at any table, this episode is for you.

Links Mentioned: 

• Join my September Influence & Ignite Retreat for small business owners: shamelessmom.com/retreat
• Article: Leanin.org Women in the Workplace 2023
• Learn about my speaking, training, and coaching: saradean.com
• Connect with me on LinkedIn: saradean.com/linkedin

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: Shameless Leadership Sponsor

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve caught the last few episodes of the show, you know that change is upon us. It's not a goodbye change, but a level-up change. We are growing and evolving - together. All that we have learned together over the last 8.5 years has led us to this moment where we are stepping into a new podcast identity. This is so exciting!

As we celebrate episode 900 (omg - 900!!!), we are also celebrating the transition of this little podcast-that-could from The Shameless Mom Academy to Shameless Leadership. This is the last episode you will hear in this feed that begins with “Welcome to the Shameless Mom Academy…”  

Come next week, you will see a new episode in this feed with a new title, Shameless Leadership. Taking everything we have learned together over the last 8.5 years, we are elevating our knowledge, gifts, and confidence to have bigger conversations for women leaders (at al levels). These conversations will be about everything from shutting down your inner critic and imposter syndrome to overcoming perfectionism to using your voice in new ways to advocate for yourself, your ideas, and other folks carrying marginalized identities. Each week on Shameless Leadership, you'll hear practical tips, effective strategies, and inspiring stories that will enhance your leadership skills and broaden your perspective to help you become a more confident, intentional, inclusive, and empathetic leader.

Shameless Leadership is for women, gender minorities, and allies who want to create spaces where people who have not had the advantage of a male identity can rise, lead, and thrive.  

The mission of Shameless Leadership is to be a community of people of all genders who believe everyone deserves to feel seen, heard, held, valued, and supported. Our mission is to help you foster these feelings within your own circles of influence so you can build trust, psychological safety, and a culture of belonging in all the places you take up space.

This is a show by women for everyone. If you have been listening to the SMA for the last few years, months, or weeks, this is still a place for you to learn, grow, and connect. I could not be more honored to continue to be in your ear. And, I’m so excited about our future together. 

Link mentioned:

• Join my September Influence & Ignite Retreat for small business owners: shamelessmom.com/retreat

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When I started thinking about the final interview for the SMA before we rebrand the show as Shameless Leadership, I knew I wanted to do something special. It occurred to me that it could be fun to have someone turn the mic on me and ask me about the show over the last 8 years. Once I had this idea, I knew Laura Cathcart Robbins, my dear friend and a friend of the show, was the perfect person to turn the mic on me!  

In this episode, Laura takes us behind the scenes of the last 8 years of the Shameless Mom Academy. We talk about my original vision for the show and how it evolved over time. She asked me about (hard) lessons learned, the biggest gifts of the show, and why this podcast pivot makes so much sense right now.  

I can’t wait for you to hear a little about the ongoings of the show that you haven’t had the chance to “see” over the last 8.5 years. And, I’m thrilled to give you some sneak peeks into what is coming down the pipeline (so much greatness!!)

Links mentioned:

• Join my September Influence & Ignite Retreat for small business owners: shamelessmom.com/retreat
• Connect with Laura Cathcart Robbins: lauracathcartrobbins.com
• Laura’s Podcast: The Only One in the Room
• Laura’s Book: Stash: My Life in Hiding

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected]. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are some exciting changes in store for the future of The Shameless Mom Academy and this episode is where you can get all the dirty deets!  

Over the last 8.5 years, I have grown so much. And, YOU have grown so much right alongside me.  

About a year ago, I had an idea for a bit of a new direction for the show that would allow us to continue to grow together. My skills, talents, and expertise have evolved dramatically over the last 8.5 years and I know yours have too. I want to make sure that I continue to create content that provides the most optimal learning experience for you. I want to meet you where you are at. We are all in a different place than we were even a couple of years ago, so a refreshed sense of direction makes a lot of sense right now. 

With that, there are a few things that will change for the show after we release episode 900. Rest assured, there are also quite a few things that are staying the same. BUT, I don’t want you to be totally confused when you tune into episode 901 - like, “What is even happening here?!?” Spoiler alert, the show is getting a new name. You’ll want to know that before episode 901 lands in your feed! 

In this episode, I share why the show is evolving, what is changing (yes, I’ll share the new name!), what is not changing, and what I’ve learned over the last 8.5 years that may potentially have a deep impact on you.  

This episode is not to be missed!

Link mentioned:

• Join my September Influence & Ignite Retreat for small business owners: shamelessmom.com/retreat

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor

Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected]. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices