It’s the hardest thing for women leaders to do: to talk about their wins in a way that doesn’t feel icky. Lisa Bragg, the author of "Bragging Rights," joins us for this not-to-be-missed conversation to help women (re)claim their narrative and assert their personal self-worth in both personal and professional spaces. Lisa’s story began as a journalist where she learned how to “stay behind the camera” and keep her brand out of the story. Fast forward to her current role as a business owner...

It all started when Amy went into a knick knack store and saw a magnet that said, “Leap and the net will appear.” This led Amy to leave the corporate world, and reimagine her future with a different perspective and a new guiding compass: a mission to Create Magic At Work. Amy Durham is a seasoned business leader and Executive Coach, with the vision of transforming workplaces into vibrant hubs of creativity, productivity, and fulfillment. Her journey is not linear, it has a lot of twists...

Listen up and loosen up those tight shoulders! Today, we're diving deep into the art of stepping out of your comfort zone and embracing new experiences. Jenny’s got seven powerful techniques, from both her personal experience and her years of executive coaching, designed to help you break free from the confines of your comfort zone. This episode is a reminder that success isn't just about achieving big milestones; it's about continuous improvement. You’ll learn how to reframe situations,...

It’s every leader’s worst nightmare: the moment when their best talent signs a contract with someone else. Or worse: the competition.   Why did they leave? One of two reasons: they hated their boss, or they didn’t see a path forward for professional advancement.    Both of these challenges can be addressed by bringing in a solid mentorship program to your organization. If you haven’t figured it out yet, let me spell it out to you. People are your organization’s most valuable asset. If...

Leadership Vacuums. It’s when everyone is polite, doesn’t say the hard things that need to be said, and meetings start to look like merry-go-arounds. Is this you? Are you leading from behind, afraid to step out and say what needs to be said? From personal decisions to workplace dynamics, being unclear in your leadership role can lead to a host of problems. This podcast is all about stepping up and taking charge in your life and at work. There are consequences for avoiding leadership...

Welcome to Season 4!   I am celebrating consistency today! It would have been easy to stop the Underdog Leadership Podcast after Season 1 or 2. Shiny object syndrome kicks in, or we become inconsistent with where we put our energy.   But I stuck to it. I stuck with the podcast and kept going. In every episode I got a little better with the technology, my interview skills, and my messaging. The power of sticking to something matters. Growing and learning through the process matters.    ...

Janet’s story is about personal integrity and being a part of the system as a lawyer. It’s about recognizing that there is a wide variety of people engaging in the system in different ways and it’s on us to exercise moral courage in the way that we engage with the system.    Not only was Janet a lawyer, but she was also a lawyer in the military in the United States Navy. Janet’s story starts with her wanting to be in this honourable profession that is all about strength and integrity of...

This is not a story about the drama of what happened to Mojdeh Cox. This is a story about what she did afterwards and how she reclaimed her path and her power. This is a story all about choice. Mojdeh Coz is an award-winning consultant and convener and the founder of Cox & Co., a family-run full scale values-based consulting firm aiming to build better institutions and communities that thrive with intention, specializing in organizational effectiveness through good governance and...

Delphine Haslé wasn’t always in a #1 leadership position. She worked hard to grow from a #2 supporting role into the #1 position she holds now as the Executive Director of the Perley Health Foundation.    This podcast episode is all about Delphine’s transition from the #2 to #. She talks about the recruitment process as an “internal candidate,” about her experience working in the healthcare sector during four long years of COVID, how she changed her mindset, all things fundraising, and her...

Embracing Ambition - that’s the TITLE of the collaborative book. It now has a name!   Today’s guest is Onome Ako, CEO of Action Against Hunger. In her language, Onome’s name means “one who is cherished, one who is loved, and my special one.” And that is the kind of love she brings every day to her work as CEO. Onome’s story is about her leadership journey as a black female immigrant, a story about resilience in the face of perceptions, and a story about community and family. She often...

Heather Nelson is the Founder and President at BridgeRaise, a company that helps charities and not for profits build corporate partnerships based on mutually beneficial and long term relationships.  She is a colleague, a friend and has always been a cheerleader for Chavender. As an entrepreneur who works with charities, Heather has a unique lens to view the collaborative book project. Her story is about her time when she worked for Food Banks Canada as the corporate partnership lead.  She...

Heather Bach’s day starts with slow mornings.. But once she gets to work, it’s go go go and she doesn’t stop. Heather is currently the Executive Director of the Medicine Hat Health Foundation but philanthropy wasn’t always her journey. Believe it or not, Heather started her career in retail and transitioned to where she is today. Heather didn’t always see herself as a leader: she was always doing things for someone else but was never the decision maker. Once she decided to face challenges...

Carley Schelck is the owner and CEO of the Urban Element, an Ottawa based boutique culinary experiences and event management company. But, she was stopped in her tracks when Jenny called her out of the blue one day to tell her she had an idea, an idea about a Women’s Leadership book. Intellectual legacy are the two words Jenny used that intrigued Carley and ultimately convinced her to come on board and be a part of an upcoming Collaborative Book. As someone who operates her own...

It's a long way from being a little girl in a catholic elementary school to becoming the CEO of Farm Credit Canada, but Justine Hendricks takes it all in stride. For her, Dignity is a cornerstone of her leadership style. This is a story about being different, growing up being a “first”, facing obstacles head-on and leading with respect and dignity. Justine's leadership story has some unexpected twists and turns in it. She credits her banking experience for learning that the customer must...

I can’t WAIT for you to meet  Olinda Casimiro. This week’s story focuses around a rather large glass-cliff. Not sure what that is? Then have a listen. It is definitely a thing! Olinda’s leadership story follows her journey leading  a public art gallery and the unique set of  challenges she faced while getting settled in her role This is a story all about trust and how to build trust after it has been lost. Tune in to learn more about Olinda’s experience writing her part of our...

This week, we’re joined by my co-coach at Chavender, Sherry Schaefer! In the last episode, Sherry interviewed me. But this time, Sherry is in the hot seat. Today Sherry is sharing her leadership story with us. A big theme throughout Sherry’s story is mentorship and the things surrounding mentorship that really matter. Sherry’s leadership story is all about the challenges she faced to get to where she wanted to be and how she overcame those challenges. To learn more, tune in to...

This is a special episode of the Underdog Leadership Podcast because today, I am the one being interviewed. My friend and co-coach at Chavender, Sherry Schaefer, interviewed me about my part in the Collaborative Book that is launching in the Fall. In this episode, we’re flipping the tables: I am the interviewee, not the interviewer. I will share with you what the process of writing my story down was like, what I learned, and what I’m continuing to learn every single day. If you want...

This episode will delight you, inspire you, and challenge you. In this episode I am joined by Meghan Rehbein. Meghan is a strategic professional skilled in nonprofit management, organizational leadership, philanthropy, fundraising, stewardship, and so much more. Today, we’re going to talk about Meghan’s story and her experience writing her part of our upcoming Collaborative Book. The big question of today’s episode is: What did you think your story was about and what did it actually...

Welcome to Season 3 of the Underdog Leadership Podcast! This season I am focusing all of my podcast airtime on the Collaborative Women’s Leadership Book I am creating with 12 other inspiring and incredible women CEOs. In each episode you’re going to hear from one of the 12 women in the book. You’ll learn about each of them, and their leadership journey to where they are today. For today’s episode, I am joined by Michelle Fishering.  Michelle has been our editor and support network for...

Today is a very special episode because it is the end of Season 2. The Season of Rebellion. In this episode, we’re diving into a refreshing way of talking about Marketing and Personal Branding with my guest, Kendra Corman! Kendra has been in marketing and advertising for more than 15 years and she was the only woman in the room for many of those years. Once she became more confident in herself and her skills she moved up the ladder from Jeep to Insurance to helping Entrepreneurs do...

Let me introduce you to my guest, Alice Ferris! Alice is a long time volunteer for AFP, she has been awarded the Founders Medallion over the years, she is a founding Partner of GoalBusters Consulting, a passionate Asian efficiency follower, AND last but certainly not least - a retired competition ballroom dancer! In this week's episode, Alice will be sharing with us her thoughts on Resilience. Is Resilience overrated? Are we overglorifying Resilience? Is being called “Resilient” a...

In season 2  we’ve been talking about the theme of rebellion. And I just knew I had to have Mary Sullivan on the podcast. Mary introduces herself as the Irrepressible Major-League Mary Sullivan and you know what? We shouldn’t be ashamed to introduce ourselves in such a way. Mary is one of the co-founder of Sweet but Fearless. Sweet but Fearless is a successful women’s network that aims to accelerate the advancement of frontline women leaders within the workplace. It is also a podcast...

Are you a People Pleaser?   As a leader, I know my job is not to be liked. My job is to help bring about important decisions and milestones that the missions and organizations work for. But I also have an innate desire to be a colleague and a friend that is NICE. In the past, the word, “Nice”, has really hamstringed me from saying what I mean, for fear of hurting someone’s feelings. I guess I am am hardwired to please. But I have learned that i also have to please a very important...

Are you a People Pleaser?   As a leader, I know my job is not to be liked. My job is to help bring about important decisions and milestones that the missions and organizations work for. But I also have an innate desire to be a colleague and a friend that is NICE. In the past, the word, “Nice”, has really hamstringed me from saying what I mean, for fear of hurting someone’s feelings. I guess I am am hardwired to please. But I have learned that i also have to please a very important...