Guest Episodes

Join Leanna and guest Jessica Trammell as they dive deep into the intersection of personal healing and professional leadership. Jess shares her journey of processing powerful emotions to enhance her leadership skills and explains how nurturing authenticity can improve employee engagement and infuse joy into the workplace. Leanna and Jess discuss the crucial role of emotional intelligence in effective leadership, why authenticity is essential for fostering a collaborative team culture, and how he...

Welcome to the Greatest Hits Summer Series! We’re revisiting some of our favorite episodes from the first year of the podcast and sharing Leanna’s take on them from her current vantage point. Laura Nguyen joins this compelling episode as a seasoned executive mom who not only weathered the storm of burnout herself but has since become a guiding force for others facing similar struggles. Laura shares her unique journey, mirroring the experiences of many high-achieving women, as she climbed the ...

Dr. Corey Seemiller joins Leanna for an inspiring and enlightening conversation this week! Corey is a leadership and higher education professor, author of 11 books, Gen Z expert, mom, avid hiker, podcast host, and an all-around amazing human. Here are some highlights: Despite her many accomplishments, Corey shares that "rejection is the story of my life," and discusses how she perseveres through setbacks. How Corey integrates her daughter into her career and sees her as a partner in he...

In this inspiring episode, Leanna is joined by Shannon Talbot, happiness coach, speaker, and author, to discuss her transition from a corporate role to entrepreneurship driven by a quest for fulfillment and a new definition of success. They explore Shannon's book, Breaking Free: Stop Holding Back, Start Being You, sharing stories and introspective exercises that can help listeners to create their dream lives. Shannon highlights the importance of self-compassion, visualization, and small, intenti...

In the fifth episode of the Transition to Motherhood Series, Leanna is joined by Arielle Wozniak, a Health Coach who has triumphed over postpartum depression, anxiety, and OCD. Arielle shares her personal story as a two-time survivor of postpartum mental health challenges and how it fueled her passion for guiding mothers through these turbulent times towards a fulfilling motherhood experience. With a focus on recognizing symptoms and practical strategies for moving from surviving to thriving, sh...

In a very special episode, Leanna interviews her own mom (!!), her biggest supporter and #1 fan of this podcast. Michele Laskey has devoted the past 41 years of her life to motherhood and being an unwavering supporter, friend, and teacher of her three daughters and now 4 grandchildren. They discuss her unique journey, from the perspective of a mom with three grown children – what she’s learned, what she’s proud of, what she’d do differently, and her legacy. Throughout the conversation, you’ll he...

In this deeply candid fourth episode of the Transition to Motherhood Series, Leanna is joined by Suzanne Yatim Aslam, author of Post Pardon Me, a book that fearlessly confronts the unspoken realities and dark thoughts countless new mothers grapple with silently. Suzanne shares her own raw encounters with postpartum depression and anxiety, delving into the complexities of maternal instincts, the pressures of media on our emotional responses, and the changes in self identity that can coincide with...

In the third episode of the Transition to Motherhood Series, Annemieke Rice returns to recount her personal journey through fertility challenges, career changes, and her new role as a mother. She shares the emotional toll of infertility, the impact of work stress on fertility, and her long and grueling journey to conception. Annemieke sheds light on the difficulty of caring for a newborn while unable to reconcile the inability to physically perform as she had before a C-section, while also recov...

In the second episode of the Transition to Motherhood series, Amy Diehl, PhD, author of Glass Walls: Shattering the Six Gender Bias Barriers Still Holding Women Back at Work, and IT executive, returns to discuss her personal story of becoming a mother via IVF in her late forties. She shares the journey from working long hours on her research and at her full time job to coping with postpartum anxiety during maternity leave and returning to work. Amy discusses the challenge of a new role at home a...

In this first episode of the Transition to Motherhood Series, Leanna is joined once again by Andrea Palmer, this time for Andrea to share her story of becoming a mother. Andrea gets vulnerable, recounting the decision to have children, her heartbreaking loss, and ultimately the arrival of her beautiful daughter. The discussion explores the importance of support for new mothers in the workplace, the rewards of balancing work, family, and health, and the obstacles of recovering after pregnancy whi...

Leanna hosts a dynamic panel of executive moms, including Annemieke Rice, Emily-Rose Barry, and Kate Griffin, delving into the challenges of working mothers in leadership roles and remote work settings. They emphasize the importance of nurturing family-friendly work cultures that prioritize flexibility and support for working parents to better manage the intricate balance between career and family. Panelists share personal anecdotes and insights, emphasizing the need for authentic dialogue and a...

Leanna sits down with Elaine Benfield, a seasoned professional in the software tech industry with over 25 years of experience. Elaine shares her unique journey balancing a thriving career with motherhood, offering invaluable insights into work-life integration and the power of prioritization. From her early days navigating career choices to finding balance as a working mom, Elaine's story resonates with authenticity and resilience. Leanna and Elaine delve into the challenges faced by working mot...

Leanna welcomes Sloan Echavarria, also known as “Sloan The Beast,” a successful entrepreneur running multiple businesses, mom of four, and chaos coach. Sloan shares her journey of embracing a life full of excitement and adventure, challenging the traditional suburban lifestyle. As a chaos coach, Sloan helps women navigate the delicate balance between motherhood and entrepreneurship, crafting intentional work-life harmony tailored to individual family dynamics. With a bustling household, multiple...

Leanna is joined by award winning IT leader and gender bias researcher, Amy Diehl, to shed light on the gender biases and challenges that women face in leadership, emphasizing the disproportionate impact of work-life conflicts on women in the workplace. Through discussions on gender barriers, including dismissal of ideas and diminishment, Amy reveals the systemic issues hindering women's advancement in the workplace. Drawing from personal stories and Amy’s qualitative research, Leanna and Amy ex...

In this educational episode, Leanna is joined by her sister, Laura Laskey, as they delve into the complex and evolving historical landscape of women's rights. The discussion explores pivotal moments such as the ratification of the 19th Amendment in the United States in 1920, marking a significant milestone in the quest for gender equality. Moving through the decades, they navigate the ebbs and flows of progress, acknowledging the challenges and triumphs that shaped the narrative of women's right...

Join Leanna in the January 2024 Reset for High Achieving Women here. In this episode, Leanna and her sister, Laura Laskey, delve deep into the emotional rollercoaster that the holiday season often becomes for mothers. As the festive lights twinkle, many moms find themselves navigating through a maze of expectations, societal pressures, and personal desires. In this candid conversation, our hosts discuss the choices and consequences that come with managing the holiday hustle. They explore the ...

Laura Nguyen joins this compelling episode as a seasoned executive mom who not only weathered the storm of burnout herself but has since become a guiding force for others facing the same struggles. Laura shares her unique journey, mirroring the experiences of many high-achieving women, as she climbed the corporate ladder and encountered the stark reality of burnout. Laura delves into the pivotal moments that led to her career break, shifting her priorities and perspectives dramatically. She cand...

Today, Leanna is joined by Jess Kitt, who is talking about her experience in her first executive role, and her recent transition out of it. They explore navigating tough waters in a male-dominated company when our values and the organization’s values don’t align. Should we abandon our authentic selves to be successful in the organization, or stay true to ourselves and potentially risk our jobs? How much time and energy do we spend questioning ourselves and experiencing imposter syndrome, assumin...

The holiday season is upon us! Are you feeling excitement, or dread, or a little bit of both? Holidays can be tough for moms, who often take on the brunt of the mental load. And while of course we love making the holidays magical for our families, it can be really draining trying to balance all the magic making and holiday events on top of everything else in our day-to-day lives. Today, we welcome Emily Rose Hardy to the podcast! Emily is a Motherhood Mindset Coach and host of The Worthy Moth...

Today’s guest is Emily Siegel, host of the Connected Mom Life Podcast and creator of the Mom Friends community. She has relocated multiple times and has therefore had to create her village in each place. She’s learned a lot through these experience and she shares some of her valuable insights about making friends and building community in motherhood. Emily and Leanna discuss some of the mindsets holding us back from true connection, and she also shares some practical advice for actions to tak...

In today’s episode, Leanna is talking with Erica Music, an athlete, educator, mother, speaker, and author, who shares her inspiring journey of resilience. Erica's story emphasizes the importance of building a strong support network and setting and achieving goals as a working mother. She challenges the belief that we must do everything alone and highlights the power of intention and focus on a goal. Erica and Leanna explore the theme of resilience and how it can empower women in their dual roles...

Content warning: miscarriage and pregnancy loss October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month, and today Leanna is having a beautiful conversation with Kami Wernimont, certified life coach, miscarriage doula, and Founder & President of Let the Light In (LTLI). LTLI is a new nonprofit to support women through their journeys with miscarriage and pregnancy loss. Kami shares her own story, which includes two losses after her first two children, and a long journey to healing. Sh...

Dr. Miranda Walichowski joins Leanna for a highly impactful conversation for working moms. Miranda does it all — she is a business owner, a professor, a mother of 5, a devoted wife and woman of faith, and a competitive powerlifter. Trying to balance all of this might feel leave one feeling regularly stuck in stress and overwhelm, but Miranda has found a way to juggle it all while genuinely enjoying her life. She shares how she does it with some tangible strategies, like focusing on the highes...

In this special back to school bonus episode, Leanna and her young daughter talk about the challenges of the transition to preschool and what helped to make the drop off process a lot smoother. Knowing there are children and caretakers out there struggling with this too, we hope this episode is helpful to share both solidarity and ideas to help make the transition easier for everyone. Connect with Leanna here. Full transcript available here.