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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 ceilingHow workplace bias and the “takedown playbook” show upWhy successful women can still be caught completely off guardHow to recognize when the problem isn’t your performanceWhy relationships and political capital matterHow to document and protect yourself when things shiftWhat meaningful support between women really looks likeWhy organizational change can’t rest solely on womenIf you’ve ever felt the narrative around you change at work—or watched it happen to another woman—this conversation will help you better understand what was happening and what to do next. Chapters 04:55 Why the glass ceiling isn’t the last barrier 06:47 Why great performance isn’t always enough 12:49 Recognizing bias in your workplace 14:45 The Goldilocks syndrome: Too much or not enough 17:26 The invisible org chart and office politics 23:28 The takedown: When high performers get pushed out 29:18 Warning signs you might be overlooking 32:59 Protecting your voice, results and network 36:13 Collaboration over competition: Supporting other women Links Purchase Walking On Broken Glass Connect with Shannon

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. Links Full episode with Michelle Connect with Michelle Minnikin

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 workWhy being capable and agreeable can lead to more work, but not more opportunityHow to recognize when your boundaries are being crossedWhy resentment is an important signal instead of something to ignoreHow to practice setting boundaries in small, realistic waysWhy visibility and self-promotion aren’t selfishWhat it means to become comfortable with being disliked Learn more about Michelle and find her book, Good Girl Deprogramming, at michelleminnikin.com. Chapters 00:00 What “Good Girl” Conditioning Teaches Us 04:06 How Good Girls Show Up at Work 08:23 Deprogramming Starts with Small Steps 12:01 Resentment Is a Boundary Warning Sign 14:20 Experimenting with Boundaries 17:45 When Competence Turns You into the Worker Bee 21:10 Entering Your Villain Era 24:12 Becoming “Unfuckwithable” 25:11 Why “Let Them” Isn’t Always Enough 27:18 Who Pushes Back When Women Change 29:38 One Practice to Begin Deprogramming 31:20 Where to Connect with Michelle

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 anymoreHow to spot the invisible load taking up your time, energy and headspaceWhy “I can do this” is different from “I should do this”The four things that make letting go hard: guilt, FOMO, judgment and controlHow to think about delegation differentlyWhy a real boundary is something you can upholdThe 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. Full episode with Cherylanne

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 youThe four emotions that make letting go so hardA better way to think about boundariesWhy delegation usually feels harder before it gets easierHow to decide what actually needs to be yoursThe question: “Am I uniquely qualified to do this?”If you’ve built the career, the family and the full life—and you’re wondering why it still feels like too much—this one is for you. Chapters 01:05 The Gen X Promise of “Having It All” 04:10 Why Cherylanne Left the Corporate Ladder 11:35 The Complexity Curve 14:30 When the Way You’ve Always Operated Stops Working 17:05 The Peak of Complexity 19:40 Why You Need a New Operating System 21:20 Treat Your Week Like Your Life in Miniature 24:15 Put Yourself Into the Week First 27:25 Becoming the Default Person for Everyone 29:15 Guilt, FOMO, Judgment and Control 31:55 Boundaries Other People May Not Like 34:25 Delegating Without Lowering Your Standards 36:25 Small Experiments That Create More Capacity 38:05 No One Is Coming to Save You Links Take this quiz: Discover What's Standing Between You and Where You Want to Be Brilliant Balance Instagram: Brilliant Balance Instagram: Cherylanne

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 burnoutHow poor sleep, anxiety and brain fog can affect confidence and credibility at workWhy perimenopause often collides with some of women’s biggest career yearsWhy “normal” does not mean you have to sufferWhat to pay attention to when something suddenly feels differentHow to find a provider who understands perimenopauseWhy you should get curious before deciding you are losing your edgeHow to think about support at work without feeling like you need to disclose everythingPerimenopause is common. It can affect your career. And it does not mean you are becoming less capable. Links Listen to the full episode Connect with Dr. Troutman

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 down with Dr. Caissa Troutman, a physician specializing in menopause and midlife health—and Betsy’s own doctor—to talk about how perimenopause can affect sleep, focus, confidence, credibility and career decisions. They explore the difference between perimenopause and menopause, the symptoms women commonly miss and why women are so often told that what they are experiencing is simply stress or aging. Dr. Troutman also shares the treatment options available, including hormone therapy, nutrition, movement, stress support and individualized medical care. This is not about women becoming less capable. It is about understanding what is happening before women—or the people around them—mistake it for decline. You’ll learn: How perimenopause differs from menopauseWhy anxiety, fatigue, sleep disruption and brain fog are commonly overlooked symptomsHow perimenopause can affect confidence and credibility at workWhy women often blame themselves and try to power throughHow untreated symptoms can influence promotions, leadership opportunities and career decisionsWhy hormone therapy may help some women but is not the only optionWhat to look for in a provider who understands menopause careWhy there is no medal for suffering through a normal biological transitionPerimenopause is common. It is okay to talk about it. And there are solutions. Chapters 0:00 — Why Perimenopause Belongs in a Leadership Conversation 1:40 — What Perimenopause Actually Is3:55 — The Symptoms Women Don’t Expect 7:55 — What’s Happening With Your Hormones 9:05 — “I Thought It Was Just Stress” 13:20 — Brain Fog, Confidence & the Career Credibility Hit 15:45 — Should You Talk About Perimenopause at Work? 19:20 — How to Know When It’s Time to Get Help 22:05 — What to Do If Your Doctor Dismisses You 24:00 — The Career Cost of Untreated Symptoms 25:45 — HRT and Other Treatment Options 27:10 — Meals, Movement, Mind & Meds 31:10 — Stop Powering Through & Start Prioritizing Yourself 33:00 — Where to Connect With Dr. Troutman Links Connect with Dr. Troutman Instagram

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 that can help you reconnect with what you think and need • Why your perspective becomes more valuable as you advance in your career • How to speak up through small, low-risk experiments • A simple phrase for disagreeing without creating unnecessary conflict • How to clearly tell people what support looks like for you You do not need to change your entire life or become the loudest person in the room. You can start by no longer abandoning yourself in the small moments. Links: Elaine Lin Hering Purchase Unlearning Silence Listen to the full episode with Elaine

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 quietWhy women are often rewarded for being agreeable and easy to work withHow narrow definitions of leadership and executive presence silence talented peopleWhy your perspective becomes more valuable as you advance in your careerTwo questions that can help you reconnect with what you think and needHow low-risk experiments can help you start using your voice againA simple phrase that can turn potential conflict into conversationBecause being loud is not about dominating the room. It is about having the agency to show up fully as yourself. Chapters 00:00 Why Women Learn to Stay Silent 01:50 What “Unlearning Silence” Really Means 05:05 Why We’re Rewarded for Being Easy and Agreeable 07:45 How Workplaces Silence People Without Realizing It 10:16 The Problem With “Executive Presence” 12:03 Start Speaking Up With Low-Risk Experiments 15:24 How to Help Other Women Find Their Voice 16:37 Two Questions: What Do I Think and Need? 17:25 Why Your Perspective Is Your Career Value 19:57 Sharing What You Need Isn’t Selfish 21:06 When High-Achieving Women Lose Themselves 30:31 Voice Is About Choice—not Constantly Talking 31:30 What Being “Loud” Actually Means 32:13 A Simple Phrase for Speaking Up at Work 33:53 Practical Steps to Start Unlearning Silence Links Connect with Elaine Purchase Unlearning Silence

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. Listen to the full episode with Vanessa

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 build a stronger girls’ club. Chapters 0:00 What Is the Sisterhood Paradox? 2:10 Why Women Are Afraid to Talk About It 5:29 Why Women Tear Other Women Down 6:16 What Female Bullying Looks Like at 9:06 When “Women Supporting Women” Isn’t Real 11:05 The Personal Cost of Workplace Bullying 14:45 Collaboration Over Competition 16:13 What Drives Mean-Girl Behavior 17:43 Being Difficult vs. Being a Bully 19:25 Exclusion: The Invisible Form of Bullying 20:12 Why Women Still Need to Enter Male-Dominated Rooms 23:05 What to Do When You’re Being Bullied 24:15 When It’s Time to Leave 27:28 Can a Workplace Bully Actually Change? 28:32 The Harsh Reality of Fighting Back Links Vanessa Vershaw Purchase The Sisterhood Paradox

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. Listen: to the full Loud & Lifted episode with Trish for the complete conversation. Purchase: Why Women Pivot

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 your strengths and transferable skills • How to own your pivot story without sounding wounded or apologetic • Why networking and asking for help matter • How to build a personal advisory board • Why women need to actively support other women through career transitions Whether you are thinking about leaving your job, recovering from a layoff, changing industries or starting your own business, this conversation is a reminder that you do not need every answer before taking the next step. Chapters 00:00 Why women pivot 05:00 When change is forced 06:30 What energizes you vs. drains you 09:00 Building a personal brand after a pivot 12:00 Separating your identity from your title 18:00 The emotional reality of starting over 25:30 Why you need a personal advisory board 30:30 Women supporting women through change Links Trish Barber Purchase Why Women Pivot

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 to manage everyone else’s reaction. The conversation may not get easier while you wait. But clarity usually starts when you finally stop working around it. Links Full episode Kasey D'Amato

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 making a decision when the data says one thing and your gut says another — and why two of the three have to align before you moveThe Polaris Point method: how to set a three-year goal and reverse-engineer it back to what you do in the next 90 daysThe two-minute rule for not making decisions out of angerWhy most of the "outside pressure" you're drowning in is actually within your controlThe single first move to make if you're feeling stuck right nowPlus what alone time taught Kasey about saying no. Kasey's free Decision Diagnosis tool is linked in the show notes. Chapters 0:00 Why Big Decisions Feel So Hard 2:32 The Head, Heart and Gut Framework 5:38 Why Each Part Must Be Considered Separately 7:03 Are You Solving the Wrong Problem? 7:30 Finding Your Polaris Point 9:13 The Hard Conversation You’re Avoiding 11:03 How Emotional Intelligence Shapes Decisions 12:02 Are You Feeling Heavy or Energized? 13:28 Using Diplomatic Influence 14:59 The Two-Minute Rule 17:43 Outside Pressure vs. Internal Clarity 20:33 Why High Achievers Take On Too Much 21:49 What Four Months Alone in Morocco Revealed 23:43 How to Create a 24-Hour Personal Reset 25:07 Why Clarity Comes After the Discomfort 27:28 Creating a Personal Polaris Point Links Kasey's website Kasey's Instagram Decision Diagnosis