Finding Brave

Thank you for listening to our Finding Brave show, ranked in the Top 100 Apple Podcasts in Careers!

“It’s hard, but make yourself step back, take a breath and do this as if you were having a conversation with a friend. The minute that someone starts thinking that they’re performing to an audience and not sitting across the table from a friend, they start making mistakes.” - Gabe Wicks

Whether you’re already a published author, or you’re thinking of writing your first book, you are probably aware of the growing popularity of audiobooks. Maybe you’ve already decided to record your own audiobook, but you’re not sure where to begin with the process. Today’s Finding Brave guest reveals how audiobooks are rewarding to publish but hard work for both the narrator and studio, and there are numerous pitfalls and nuances that I wish I knew about before I recorded the audiobook for my new book The Most Powerful You (which I’m thrilled to share is in the Top 100 Bestsellers on Amazon’s Women In Business audiobooks!). It’s about so much more than just showing up and getting behind the microphone.

Gabe Wicks is a Nashville-based producer for over twenty years, most of that within the book industry. He is the VP of Creative Services for HarperCollins Christian Publishing, which currently produces over 500 audiobooks annually. Gabe produced my audiobook and was a joy to work with!

In this episode, Gabe reveals why an author should or should not read his or her own audiobook, the elements that make up a compelling audiobook, where he sees the audiobook world going in the near future, and perhaps most importantly, why you need to not be so hard on yourself during this experience.

To learn more about today's guest, visit: https://www.harpercollinschristian.com/

Thank you for listening to our Finding Brave show, ranked in the Top 100 Apple Podcasts in Careers!

“When we choose to be neutral on things where people have deep emotional responses, then we are not creating that kind of connection and community that we want to have in our culture.” - Laura Gallaher

Improving organizational culture now is extremely critical for the future longevity of companies everywhere, because the struggles that workplaces worldwide are currently facing are numerous. Today’s Finding Brave expert guest draws from her incredible experiences to share how we can all address these challenges, as well as how we can more fully recognize the unexpected positive changes to culture that are coming from the pandemic.

Dr. Laura Gallaher has worked in the field of professional and personal development since 2005. An organizational psychologist, speaker, facilitator and executive coach, Laura is the founder and CEO of Gallaher Edge, which she started in 2013 and rebranded in 2018.

Laura began her career at NASA after the Columbia exploded upon re-entry in 2003, where Laura and a team of organizational psychologists were hired to change the cultural influences that played a role in the accident. She worked there for eight years to positively influence culture, develop leadership capacity and improve organizational performance at Kennedy Space Center. After then working as a Talent Management Consultant at Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, she founded Gallaher Edge – a management consulting firm that creates transformational change in businesses through meaningful and impactful human experiences.

Now is the time for everyone, not just leaders, to build strength, maturity, self-awareness and self-acceptance. Each one of us has the ability to operate with more grace and compassion for one another, which will increase humanity not only in our workplaces, but also in a world that needs this so badly right now.

To learn more about today's guest, visit: https://gallaheredge.com/

Thank you for listening to our Finding Brave show, ranked in the Top 100 Apple Podcasts in Careers!

I'm excited to share our "Editor's Summer Top Pick" for Finding Brave! This episode is a special favorite of our wonderful editor Matt Mawhinney of PodAssist.com and shares vitally important information about the first of the 7 damaging power gaps that 98% of professional women are facing today that block them from reaching their highest and most thrilling potential. Today's episode explores Power Gap #1: Not Recognizing Your Special Talents, Abilities and Accomplishments and how to close this power gap for good.

In this episode, I give an overview of all 7 of the power gaps that my book The Most Powerful You explores, and I focus on Gap #1 - THE most prevalent gap that I see in working with thousands of professional women in my coaching programs, courses, webinars and trainings. So many women struggle to recognize that they are indeed talented, to believe that they are actually “great” at what they do, and to see clearly how their talents and abilities truly matter in the workforce and in the world.

It’s essential to understand that it’s not arrogant or selfish to recognize and appreciate that you have greatness inside of you, because when you leverage your talents and passions in a bigger, more confident way and in service to others, you are finally able to make the powerful difference that you were meant to, and experience the joy, reward and fulfillment that you long for in your work, business and career.

“Know that you are amazing. Every individual on the planet is, and the world needs your talents and your abilities desperately. Can you trust and accept that fact, that you are special and you are unique, and now is the time to recognize that clearly?” - Kathy Caprino

Thank you for listening to our Finding Brave show, ranked in the Top 100 Apple Podcasts in Careers!

“I think you’ve got to see everything as an opportunity. You cannot spend a lot of time lamenting the fact that we’re in this, because we are and you need to re-evaluate everything.” - Nell Merlino

Despite the challenges in our current environment, there has never been a better time for women to lead in business and to support one another. As we face these new obstacles, today’s inspiring Finding Brave guest is continuing to help women leaders innovate and grow their businesses and not only survive, but thrive.

Nell Merlino created Take Our Daughters to Work Day with the Ms. Foundation for Women in 1993, in which over 25 million people participated in the first two years. She then expanded her strategic communications consultancy to develop winning campaigns, strategies and events for dozens of clients including the YWCA, Amnesty International, Gay Men’s Health Crisis, The Sierra Club, Calvert, The Sister Fund and the NGO Forum on Women in Beijing ’95.

In 2000, Nell launched Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence, the first online microlender in the world. This grew to encompass the Women Veterans Entrepreneur Corp and the Make Mine a Million $ Business program with founding sponsor American Express and champions including Hillary Clinton, Suze Orman, Nely Galan, Valerie Morris (CNN) and Janet Napolitano.

Recently, Nell has revived the "Count me in" campaign to help female entrepreneurs in the wake of COVID-19, by offering $250,000 in grants, including four $25,000 grants and 15 $10,000 grants.

In this episode, Nell reveals how women in business can access capital, and she gives her strategies and advice for growing and pivoting during this pandemic. Nell shares how everyone can pivot, and it just takes the will and willingness to do so. Countless new opportunities await the women in small business who accept this challenge, and move forward despite their fears and doubts.

For more information about today's guest, visit: https://countmeinrevival.org/

Thank you for listening to our Finding Brave show, ranked in the Top 100 Apple Podcasts in Careers!

“I’m scared out of my mind in these environments, but what I’ve realized is that fear as a normal human emotion can actually work in your favor. It can keep you alert and aware of everything going on around you. Fear is only dangerous when it paralyzes you.” - Alison Levine

I’m so excited to be talking with today’s Finding Brave guest about tackling challenges and achieving goals in unpredictable environments, because her personal story is so relevant in these trying times. Her journey reveals that sometimes you must go backwards before you can move forward, but this is still progress towards the summit of your life.

Alison Levine is a history-making polar explorer and mountaineer. She served as team captain of the first American Women’s Everest Expedition, climbed the highest peak on each continent and skied to both the North and South Poles—a feat known as the Adventure Grand Slam—which only twenty people in the world have achieved. In January 2008, she made history as the first American to complete a 600-mile traverse across west Antarctica to the South Pole following the route of legendary explorer Reinhold Messner. Alison completed this arduous journey on skis while hauling 150 pounds of her gear and supplies in a sled harnessed to her waist. She made history again in 2016 when she completed two first ascents: Hall Peak in Antarctica and Khang Karpo in Nepal. Her success in extreme environments is noteworthy given she has had three heart surgeries and suffers from Raynaud’s disease, which causes the arteries that feed her fingers and toes to collapse in cold weather—leaving her at extreme risk for frostbite.

In addition to climbing mountains, Alison has also spent time climbing the corporate ladder. She has worked for several Fortune 500 companies in both sales and marketing roles and spent three years at Goldman Sachs. She left Wall Street in 2003 to serve as Deputy Finance Director for Arnold Schwarzenegger in his successful bid to become governor of California.

When not challenging herself in the outdoors, Alison focuses on training others to become strong leaders. She spent four years as an adjunct professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point in the Department of Behavioral Sciences & Leadership. In 2013 she transitioned from training cadets to working with corporate leaders and currently serves on the board and faculty of the Thayer Leader Development Group at West Point—one of the nation’s premiere executive leader development programs. She was a contributing author to the book Leadership in Dangerous Situations: A Handbook for the Armed Forces, Emergency Services and First Responders and is the author of the New York Times bestseller On the Edge: Leadership Lessons from Mount Everest and other Extreme Environments.

In this episode, Alison reframes fear by explaining how you should allow yourself to feel it as a normal human emotion, and her perspective on failure is also especially powerful. Alison’s story serves as a reminder that you do not always have to be the best, fastest or strongest to get to the mountain that you are climbing. You just have to be relentless about putting one foot in front of the other.

To learn more about today's guest, visit: http://www.alisonlevine.com/