Change and advancement rarely happen on their own. Connection and community are what really move the needle. Leaders who understand this principle have the power to create positive ripple effects throughout their communities and organizations. Meet Stephanie Kinser, EVP, Enterprise Solutions at Salesforce, who is known for her leadership approach which puts culture and people at the center of a sustainable growth strategy. She is a champion for equality creating a world-class sense of belonging ...
Mar 31, 2021•40 min•Season 2Ep. 141
This past year has brought with it many challenges. The pandemic has changed the landscape of how we work and many are suffering from burnout due to the side effects such as blurred boundaries between our work and personal lives. In this episode, Nikki shares her experience with burnout in her career. Nikki and Monica also share the signs of burnout and what you can do to build resilience so that you can prevent burnout before it happens. DISCOVER YOUR STRENGTHS & BARRIERS TO SUCCESS Take th...
Mar 29, 2021•15 min•Season 2Ep. 140
Are leaders born or made? That is the one of the most often-asked questions about leadership. The answer is that it’s “mostly made”. Researchers indicate that leadership is about one-third born and two-thirds made. So, in short, leaders can indeed be developed. In this episode, you’ll meet Darja Gutnick, Co-Founder and CEO of Bunch, who believes all of us have an inner leader and the best results happen when we dance with leading, allowing ideas to flow freely, unencumbered by roles and titles. ...
Mar 26, 2021•43 min•Season 2Ep. 139
Continuous learning is the most valuable currency for career success. Careers no longer follow a simple path from learning to earning to retirement. Lifelong learning is an indispensable skill for every individual and organization. Meet Eileen Schloss, a multidimensional, strategic and transformational human capital expert, who reveals exactly what it takes to get to the C-suite and why continuous learning is the key to success. Eileen recommends managing your life to make sure that you're const...
Mar 24, 2021•56 min•Season 2Ep. 138
Have you ever felt like you had the perfect life plan and then suddenly life went sideways, and you were forced to just stop and hit the reset button? In this episode, you’ll learn what to do when life throws you a curveball, and how to navigate through setbacks and obstacles. Nikki and Monica share their own experiences of life challenges they’ve faced and how they overcame them by looking forward instead of in the rearview mirror. Nikki also shares her 5-step framework to turn barriers into br...
Mar 22, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 20
Do you sometimes wish you could quit your job and break out on your own? But then you stop yourself because you don’t have the experience or the funds to launch your own business. Meet Mandy Gilbert, who shares how she left an unfulfilling job, secured a personal credit line of $8,000 and started her company, Creative Niche, the very next day. Mandy is an entrepreneur who has built two multi-million dollar enterprises from the ground up. She is also a philanthropist, keynote speaker, investor, a...
Mar 19, 2021•42 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Do you have a dream that you’ve been putting off until you’ve figured out all of the details? What would happen if you threw caution to the wind and just took that first step forward? Meet Ellen Bennett, founder and CEO of Hedley & Bennett, who shares why it’s important to just get started and figure out the details along the way. In her new book “Dream First, Details Later”, Ellen shares her journey and personal playbook for starting before you stop yourself. Ellen’s hustle and willingness ...
Mar 17, 2021•41 min•Season 2Ep. 18
Do you have an intense fear of public speaking? Does your heartbeat race at the thought of standing up in front of a room full of people? In this episode, Nikki shares her own experience with her fear of public speaking and what steps she took to overcome it. Subscribe to get new episodes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Visit https://www.iambeyondbarriers.com where you'll find show notes and links. Highlights: [01:04] Nikki’s first experience on stage [06:34] How Nikki overcame her fear of p...
Mar 15, 2021•18 min•Season 2Ep. 17
You’ve likely heard some leaders described as a servant leader. But what does that really mean? Servant leadership is a philosophy and set of practices that enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organizations, and ultimately creates a more just and caring world. Simply put, it is all about leading by lifting others. Our guest today, Chloe Drew, knows a thing or two about servant leadership. Throughout her career, from her corporate executive roles to her philanthropic and political en...
Mar 12, 2021•36 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Have you asked yourself and really thought about what distinguishes you from everyone else? What is your unique value proposition? If you don’t know the answer to these questions or if you don’t know how to articulate your story in a compelling way, then you’re limiting your career opportunities. In this episode, our guest, Sandra Lopez, Vice President for Intel Sports, shares how she turned an ordinary career into an extraordinary one when she finally answered these questions posed by her colle...
Mar 10, 2021•41 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Have you ever heard of the phrase “you have to see it to be it”? It’s the beginning of Women’s History Month, and we're celebrating icons, innovators and leaders who have paved the way for women today, and why it’s important for each of us to inspire others. In this episode, we discuss what is meant by “see it to be it” and the three ways that seeing these trailblazing women is empowering and enabling women everywhere to “see it” and “be it”. Subscribe to get new episodes every Monday, Wednesday...
Mar 07, 2021•13 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Hustle – the Urban Dictionary defines the word hustle as: “to strive headstrong and voraciously towards a goal”. Or as Anthony Iannarino clarified in his article, “The Real Meaning of the Word ‘Hustle’”, is that you work hard every single day. It means you do the things other people won’t do, and you do them with a sense of joy and purpose because you love it. In this episode, you’ll meet Cristina Antelo, a real-life example of the word “hustle”, who lives by Thomas Edison’s motto, “Everything c...
Mar 05, 2021•44 min•Season 2Ep. 13
True philanthropy requires a disruptive mindset, innovative thinking and an entrepreneurial drive to create opportunities. Ana Marie Argilagos embodies these competencies in spades. Ana Marie is the President and CEO of Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP), a transnational network of foundations and philanthropists that make impactful investments in the Latino community in the U.S. and across Latin America. She is guiding HIP with a bold vision: to usher in a new generation of philanthropy that is fo...
Mar 03, 2021•34 min•Season 2Ep. 12
We all know those who seem to easily command a room with their charisma and confidence. This is referred to as executive presence, and yes, it can be learned. In this episode, we share the 3 aspects of executive presence as taught by expert, Sylvia Ann Hewlett, as well as tips and strategies for you to gain executive presence and gravitas. Subscribe to get new episodes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Visit https://www.iambeyondbarriers.com where you'll find show notes and links. Highlights: ...
Mar 01, 2021•17 min•Season 2Ep. 11
You hear it all the time from super successful people, long before they were running multimillion-dollar companies, they were strengthening their entrepreneurial muscle by selling lemonade on the corner, inventing the next “big thing” in their garage or helping their parents or grandparents run the “mom and pop” family business after school. It seems that for most successful people, whether they are working for a company or running their own company, the entrepreneurial mindset sets them apart f...
Feb 26, 2021•33 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Imagine you’re at the edge of a freezing cold plunge pool. Would you dive right in? Or would you hesitate and maybe just dip your toe in the water? Our guest, Anand Verma, likes to dive right in! Anand is a visionary leader, award-winning digital innovator, serial entrepreneur, and investor–and he believes that if you want to innovate in the digital age, you have to dive right in and embrace change no matter how scary and uncomfortable it may be. Anand is the Co-founder of LeapX, a Design and AI...
Feb 24, 2021•43 min•Season 2Ep. 9
How much time a week do you invest in learning something new? What is your yearly budget for investing in yourself? The shelf life of skills today is just 18 months. What is in demand today will likely not be in demand a year and a half from now. In this episode, we share why it is important to become a lifelong learner and 3 tips for learning that will keep you abreast of what skills will be needed in the future so you can make sure that you aren’t left behind. Subscribe to get new episodes eve...
Feb 22, 2021•17 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Do you have a hard time saying no to people for fear of letting them down? Do you find yourself seeking the approval of others? Are you driven to seek validation and avoid rejection? In this episode, we discuss the negative impact of people-pleasing on your career and share three simple principles you can apply to overcome approval addiction. Visit https://www.iambeyondbarriers.com where you'll find show notes for this episode. Subscribe to get new episodes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Hi...
Feb 15, 2021•15 min•Season 2Ep. 7
We all have a superpower, but we don’t always know what it is, how to use it, or even when to use it. But when you get this right, and learn to harness your superpower, your impact becomes exponential. Meet Fran Maier, serial entrepreneur, known for growing iconic businesses like TRUSTe and Match.com. Fran shares how her superpower as a brand builder made her such a huge success and helped her create global impact. Fran is now the CEO of BabyQuip and her superpower as a brand builder has already...
Feb 12, 2021•50 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Imagine you’re at an event or in an elevator, and you get introduced to a VIP that you’re honored to meet. Then they ask that dreaded question: Tell me about yourself. The typical default is to respond with your name, title, employer and work focus, right? Imagine you no longer have that job or title. How would you tell your story? When we’re asked to introduce ourselves, we often miss the opportunity to share our story in a powerful way that makes us stand out and highlights our unique value pr...
Feb 10, 2021•41 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Is self-doubt preventing you from following your dreams? Are you a high-achiever who struggles with feelings of inadequacy? In the 1970s, two researchers, Dr. Suzanne Imes and Dr. Pauline Rose Clance, embarked on researching the characteristics of high-achieving women. What they found was that despite all of these women’s accomplishments, all of their achievements, there was this level of self-doubt. This became known as Imposter Syndrome, which affects 70% of all people. Following in their foot...
Feb 08, 2021•34 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Have you ever felt stuck in a career but didn’t know how to make a change? Do you wonder how to position yourself effectively for a future role? Our guest, Janet Van Huysse, SVP, Chief People Officer at Cloudflare, shares how she changed careers by leveraging transferrable skills and how you can do the same. Janet started out as a school teacher in Illinois with a dream to move to California. But when she finally got there, she realized that she couldn’t afford the cost of living as a teacher an...
Feb 05, 2021•39 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Is the glass half full or half empty? Based on your answer, you are assessed as either an optimist or a pessimist, revealing your level of “happiness”. In this episode, Silvia Garcia, former International Marketing Director and President of the Happiness Institute of Coca-Cola, challenges us that both answers are wrong. The glass is refillable! And anyone can refill their own glass if they focus on the 8 pillars that science attributes to happiness. As the former President of the Happiness Insti...
Feb 03, 2021•41 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Welcome to Season 2 of the Beyond Barriers podcast! If you are an ambitious woman who wants to advance in leadership, then this podcast is for you. In each episode, we interview thought leaders, industry influencers and C-level executives from top corporations. Listen to our guests share their perspective on leadership in the age of artificial intelligence, autonomy and authenticity. From inspiring stories to cutting-edge strategies, you’ll learn exactly how our guests made it to the top and the...
Feb 01, 2021•2 min•Season 2Ep. 1
This is our last podcast episode of the year. We are so grateful, honored and blown away by the amazing podcast guests we've had the opportunity to interview since our launch in February. And what better way to close out the year then to share with you a recap of some of the best and inspirational seeds of wisdom that our guests planted for all of our listeners. In this episode, Nikki and Monica discuss how the Beyond Barriers Podcast came to life, the milestones we’ve reached, and nuggets of wi...
Dec 26, 2020•20 min•Season 1Ep. 118
It's less than two weeks until the end of the year. We are in the midst of the holiday season – a time for celebration, community, giving, and reflection. It is also a time for planning for success in the new year. In this episode, Nikki reflects back on 2020 and shares memorable moments, new competencies she’d developed over the year, and her lifelong planning rituals that help her reach her goals in the new year. And finally, as the year comes to a close, we would like to thank our listeners f...
Dec 21, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 117
Kamala Harris recently shared that her mother always reminded her that, “You may be the first to do many things, but make sure you’re not the last.” Being a pioneer is hard. It means pushing through boundaries and overcoming great challenges, often times alone. In this episode, Ileana Musa, Co-Head of International Wealth Management and the Head of International Banking & Lending at Morgan Stanley, shares what it was like growing up as a young Latina immigrant in a single parent home and how...
Dec 18, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 116
This has been an incredibly challenging year. We're navigating new circumstances in an uncertain environment. Some of us are not only dealing with everyday responsibilities, but also taking care of others – whether it’s child care, or elder care. In these situations, one of the first things that we let go of is self-care. After all, when time and energy is limited, how do you even find the time to focus on yourself? In this episode, we're going to talk about why self-care is even more important ...
Dec 14, 2020•12 min•Season 1Ep. 115
Have you ever felt like an outsider that didn’t belong even after you earned a seat at the table? Our guest Mallun Yen has faced and successfully overcome this challenge over and over again in her career. She reveals how being an outsider fueled her creativity and helped her tap into the power of community to find breakthrough solutions. She was able to think outside the box because she didn’t even know there was a box! Mallun is the Founder and Partner of Operator Collective, a $50M venture fun...
Dec 09, 2020•57 min•Season 1Ep. 114
Did you know that 92% of people who set new year’s resolutions never achieve them? In this episode, we explore how planning can help you achieve your goals. We also discuss different styles of planning and whether to plan or not to plan. You’ll learn how planning can save you time and energy, and provide relief from stress. You’ll also learn the steps of planning to set yourself up for success. Highlights: [01:09] I am not a planner [04:29] Downside of not planning [06:52] Steps for planning Quo...
Dec 07, 2020•14 min•Season 1Ep. 113
