Podcast — The Unwritten Rules

*** ‘The Unwritten Rules Of Women’s Leadership’ Book now available on Amazon & Audible ***

Helen Appleby

030 | Being Human is Good For Business with Heather Marasse

Heather Marasse is an Executive Coach, Facilitator, Strategic Advisor, and Managing Partner of Trilogy Effect. Following a career in change management and product development in the telecom sector, Heather discovered her organizational development and consulting passion. As part of Trilogy Effect, she works with Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations to ensure effective business strategies while also building the human side of each business. She recognizes the courage it takes to lead and loves the challenge of transforming leadership into a meaningful path of action.

In today's episode, Heather shares her journey through the corporate world and how it helped her identify her passion for consulting and coaching. She reveals some of the things she realized when looking back over her career and what she wished she could have known earlier in her working life. She shares some of the challenges she encountered in a male-dominated industry and how she found support during some of the most challenging times. She highlights the importance of building connections and having females support each other in the workplace. She also reveals some of the common obstacles she sees for women in the companies she works with and the advice she gives to overcome them.

“Trust the people outside of yourself saying ‘You can do this’ more than that inner voice saying 'Not yet’.”
- Heather Marasse

This week on The Unwritten Rules Podcast:

  • Heather's journey through the corporate world

  • How Heather discovered her passion for consulting

  • Reflections on her career and things Heather wishes she learned earlier in her journey

  • Challenges Heather faced while working in a male-dominated industry

  • Where Heather found support during challenging times while managing family life and work life

  • Why it's essential to cultivate connections and create a network of female support

  • Common issues for women in the organizations that Heather helps

  • Advice Heather gives to women she coaches and mentors

  • What Heather and the team at Trilogy Effect are creating now and their future plans

Resources Mentioned:

Our Favorite Quotes:

  • “It's actually OK and a good strategy to make these connections and cultivate these networks.” - Heather Marasse

  • “Find mentors and advocates. Look for people who you admire the way they are doing it and make the connection.” - Heather Marasse

  • “Relax, you've arrived; you’re at the table. Stop proving, and start providing the value you have to give.”- Heather Marasse

Connect with Heather Marasse:

Writing the Rules of Women’s Leadership

Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of The Unwritten Rules with your host, Helen Appleby. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media.

Are you making the same four mistakes I made in my corporate career?

Listen to chapter one of my best-selling book (free) and find out for yourself!

Share

029 | Be Your Own Best Advocate with Kerry O'Callaghan

Kerry O'Callaghan is a Global Brand Builder, Strategic Marketer, and VP of Corporate Reputation and Brand at the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Pharmaceutical Company. She holds a Master’s degree in Physiological Sciences from the University of Oxford. After training as a scientist, Kerry found she was more interested in why people do what they do when choosing products and brands. She has worked with GSK for over 20 years, and her role has evolved from marketing specific products into a corporate brand role. She has worked on key strategic collaboration projects, including London 2012, Comic Relief, and McLaren, to bring the GSK brand to life. 

In today's episode, Kerry shares her journey from studying sciences to an impressive marketing career with a global pharmaceutical brand. She reveals why she enjoys working in brand partnerships and the lessons she takes from seeing how these other businesses work. She shares some of the insights she gained early on in her career and some of the things she wishes she had figured out sooner. She highlights a trait she noticed among the men she works with and how she tries to apply it to her work approach. She also reveals the conversations she is having with her daughter about coming into the working world and how the workplace is evolving for the next generation of working women.

“There are plenty of people in this world that will support you and won't support you, but you really have to be your own best advocate.”
- Kerry O’Callaghan


This week on The Unwritten Rules Podcast:

  • What brought Kerry to her Corporate Reputation and Brand career

  • Why Kerry enjoys working with brand partners and how she learns from them

  • What Kerry learned very early in her career and what she wishes she knew back then

  • What Kerry noticed from men in the workplace and how she uses that in her approach to her work

  • Personal unwritten rules that Kerry had to learn through her career

  • The conversations Kerry is having with her daughter about going into the working world

  • How the workplace is changing for the next generation of women

  • The next steps for Kerry in her life and career


Our Favorite Quotes:

  • “Just push yourself forward and don't wait.”- Kerry O’Callaghan.

  • “Make sure that you are always your best advocate and putting yourself out there.”- Kerry O’Callaghan.

  • “Give yourself the best chance possible, and don't be the person that holds you back.”- Kerry O’Callaghan


Connect with Kerry O'Callaghan:

Writing the Rules of Women Leadership

Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of The Unwritten Rules with your host, Helen Appleby. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media.

Are you making the same four mistakes I made in my corporate career?

Listen to chapter one of my best-selling book (free) and find out for yourself!

Share

028 | Navigating Work and Life as an Executive Mom with Joann Lublin

Joann Lublin is a Pulitzer-winning journalist, author, and speaker. She is the former Management News Editor of The Wall Street Journal, and in 2003, she shared in the Journal's Pulitzer Prize for stories covering corporate scandals. Joann is the creator of the Wall Street Journal's first career advice column, which she wrote until May 2020, and she is still a regular contributor. In 2018 Joann won the Gerald Loeb Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honor in business journalism. She is also the author of two books about female business leaders: Earning It: Hard-Won Lessons from Trailblazing Women at the Top of Business and Power Moms: How Executive Mothers Navigate Work and Life.

Today, Joann shares the story of her trailblazing career as a journalist and reveals some of the struggles she faced in the male-dominated industry of journalism. She shares her inspiration for her first book and the advice she would have given her younger self when navigating the unwritten rules in office politics. She reveals how she managed her "working mother guilt" and how the workplace has changed over time for different generations of working women. She also shares why businesses need to be more supportive of working parents, both men and women, what a personal board of directors is, and how they can help you with your career choices.

“We now have workplaces in which there are many boomer moms in positions of power who can serve as role models, who can be advocates for those younger women.”
- Joann Lublin

This week on The Unwritten Rules Podcast:

  • Joann's career and how she started working at The Wall Street Journal

  • The struggles Joann faced in the male-dominated industry of journalism

  • The inspiration behind Joann's book: Earning It

  • Essential advice Joann would give to her younger self on the unwritten rules of office politics

  • How Joann managed "working mom guilt" throughout her career

  • The ways work and life has changed for various generations of working women

  • Why workplaces need to be more supportive of parents, both mothers and fathers

  • What a personal board of directors is and how they can help you advance your career

Resources Mentioned:

Our Favorite Quotes:

  • “We undervalue ourselves; we don't think about the fact that we are a valued contributor.” - Joann Lublin

  • “So many employers now recognise that it's important to attract and retain and promote working parents.” - Joann Lublin

  • “Think before you act, particularly when you are in a leadership role.” - Joann Lublin

Connect with Joann Lublin:

Writing the Rules of Women Leadership

Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of The Unwritten Rules with your host, Helen Appleby. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media.

Are you making the same four mistakes I made in my corporate career?

Listen to chapter one of my best-selling book (free) and find out for yourself!

Share

027 | Safe, Fair and Dignified Workplaces for All Women with Tina Tchen

TUR027 - Safe, Fair and Dignified Workplaces for All Women with Tina Tchen

Tina Tchen is the CEO and president of TIME'S UP Now and the TIME'S UP Foundation, an organization aiming to change culture, laws, and companies to make the workplace a safe, fair, and dignified space for all women. After graduating from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, she embarked on a corporate law career, working in the firm by day and doing activism work involving women's rights by night. She worked for the Obama administration as the executive director of the White House Council on Women and Girls and chief of staff to First Lady Michelle Obama. After working extensively with companies advising on workplace culture and gender inequity, Tina co-founded TIME'S UP Now as an advocacy organization, working not only for survivor justice but to create workplaces where it doesn't happen in the first place.

Today, Tina shares her journey through the corporate law world and why she decided to start the TIME'S UP Now organization. She reveals the struggles she faced throughout her career and one of her favorite moments during a corporate law meeting. She shares the advice she would give her younger self when starting as a woman in the corporate world and the revelations from her Impact Lab's research on sexual harassment. She also reveals the impact remote working during the pandemic has had on equity and inclusion in the workplace and shares her advice for women dealing with any form of harassment at work. 

“Sometimes you've just got to wait; you've just got to have enough confidence in your own abilities, in the reason why you're in the room.”
- Tina Tchen

This week on The Unwritten Rules Podcast:

  • How Tina started working at TIME'S UP Now

  • The struggles Tina faced on her journey and what she learned from them

  • One of Tina's favorite experiences during a corporate law meeting

  • The advice Tina would give to her younger self

  • Research from the TIME'S UP Impact Lab on sexual harassment

  • How remote working during the pandemic is affecting equity and inclusion

  • Advice for women struggling with any form of sexual harassment at work

  • Why we need bystander protections for those speaking out on behalf of employees

  • What Tina is excited about and what she is currently working on

  • How Tina's work is aiming to create safe and fair workplaces for everyone


Resources Mentioned:


Our Favorite Quotes:

  • “We've got to, as activists, give people grace and space to learn.”- Tina Tchen

  • “If you feel you are able to push back in the moment, to say something, to discourage the contact, do that.”- Tina Tchen

  • “We can actually change workplaces faster by helping companies change themselves, than we can by public policy.” - Tina Tchen

Connect with Tina Tchen:

Writing the Rules of Women Leadership

Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of The Unwritten Rules with your host, Helen Appleby. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media.

Are you making the same four mistakes I made in my corporate career?

Listen to chapter one of my best selling book (free) and find out for yourself!

Share

026 | Speak Up and Make a Difference with Dayna Steele

TUR026 | Speak Up and Make a Difference with Dayna Steele

TUR026 - Speak Up and Make a Difference with Dayna Steele

Dayna Steele is a Texas rock radio Hall of Famer, Speaker, a former US Congressional candidate, and the host of the popular podcast The Rock Star Principles, where she shares amazing conversations with successful rock stars in both business and entertainment. Using her entertaining stories and memorable anecdotes from her days as a DJ in her podcast, she provides lessons on overcoming obstacles and achieving success. Dayna is the best-selling author of multiple titles, including the popular 101 Ways to Rock book series. The latest release, 101 ways to Rock Running for Office, follows her journey of running for US Congress and the lessons she has learned along the way. 

Today, Dayna shares her incredible journey as a rock and roll DJ to running for Congress. She reveals why she chose to run and how her book on her experience can help anyone striving for any elected position. She shares memories from her days as an 80's DJ and what inspired her to go into radio in the first place. She describes the support she received from her radio contacts and how she developed a thick skin during those days on the air. She highlights one radio event that made her say ‘enough is enough’ and what she learned about asking for what you want. She also shares the lessons she gained from her foray into acting and how she deals with her mother's Alzheimer's diagnosis.

“If you are in a position where you can speak up, do it.”
- Dayna Steele

This week on The Unwritten Rules Podcast:

  • The journey that led Dayna to run for office and what she learned along the way

  • Why Dayna chose to run for United States Congress

  • How her book 101 ways to Rock Running for Office can help anyone run for any office position, at any level

  • What it was like to be a rock and roll DJ in Texas in the '80s

  • How Dayna got into the world of radio and her first experiences in the business

  • How her connections from her radio days supported her during her campaign

  • How using data can help you get what you want

  • Why Dayna needed thick skin during her radio days

  • The event that made Dayna stand up and say, "that's enough"

  • What Dayna learned when she moved to LA to try acting

  • How Dayna dealt with her mother’s Alzheimer's diagnosis and what she is now doing to share the story


Resources Mentioned:

Our Favorite Quotes:

  • “Just ask, if the answer's no, figure out why. If you fail, figure out why - and what a great lesson to move forward and try it again” - Dayna Steele

  • “When you think you see an opportunity, go for it.” - Dayna Steel

  • “Know your value, know what you bring to the company.”- Dayna Steele

Connect with Dayna Steele:

Writing the Rules of Women Leadership

Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of The Unwritten Rules with your host, Helen Appleby. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media.

Are you making the same four mistakes I made in my corporate career?

Listen to chapter one of my best selling book (free) and find out for yourself!

Share

025 | Self-Awareness, Self-Forgiveness & Achieving True Personal Growth with Rita Mitjans

TUR025 | Self-Awareness, Self-Forgiveness & Achieving True Personal Growth with Rita Mitjans

Rita Mitjans is the President and Founder of Bizguru Consulting; a firm focused on accelerating performance through sustainable cultures and business practices. Rita is an award-winning certified executive coach and senior executive. In her previous role of Head of Diversity and Social Responsibility at ADP, she significantly increased the number of women and minorities in executive leadership. She has held leadership roles at ADP, Deutsche Bank, and Bankers Trust and serves on the World Trade Resource Advisory Board. Rita earned her MBA from Harvard University and her Bachelor’s degree from St. John's University.

Rita joins me today to discuss how self-awareness is a crucial ingredient of learning to grow. She shares what she has learned throughout her career and highlights why it is essential to know when to ask for help and say no. She shares how perfection syndrome can affect women's careers and the struggle women endure with the work/life balance. We also discuss the importance of self-awareness, self-forgiveness, and the value of learning from our mistakes and weaknesses.

“Without self-awareness, it is very difficult to achieve any level of true growth - because that’s where it starts.”
- Rita Mitjans

This week on The Unwritten Rules Podcast

  • How to embed inclusion and diversity in an organization

  • The lessons Rita learned in her career including knowing when to ask for help

  • How perfection syndrome can affect women in their careers

  • Finding the work/life balance and job expectations of doing more with fewer resources

  • Knowing that you can say no and make your opinion heard

  • Why it is vital to recognize that you don’t need to be perfect

  • Self-awareness and how true personal growth begins with turning our failures into opportunities to learn

Our Favorite Quotes

  • “In order to embed the concept of diversity and inclusion in a company or organization, you need to understand the organization and what it’s like to be one of those leaders.” - Rita Mitjans

  • “When you move into leadership you need to now be able to develop others to do what you are able to do well.” - Rita Mitjans

  • “No one is perfect. No one has all the answers.” - Rita Mitjans


Connect with Rita Mitjans:

Writing the Rules of Women Leadership

Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of The Unwritten Rules with your host, Helen Appleby. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media.

Are you making the same four mistakes I made in my corporate career?

Listen to chapter one of my best selling book (free) and find out for yourself!

Share

024 | Eliminating Mental Boulders & Self-Sabotaging Beliefs with Erin Pheil

TUR024 | Eliminating Mental Boulders & Self-Sabotaging Beliefs with Erin Pheil

Erin Pheil is the Founder of The MindFix Group and a Rapid Transformation Agent, helping high achievers and entrepreneurs permanently remove their mental roadblocks. Her work has been featured in magazines, books, podcasts, presentations, and webinars and has presented dozens of keynote speeches to thousands of leaders. Erin is also the Founder and CEO of Followbright, an award-winning and nationally-ranked web agency she created 17 years ago. She has a Bachelors in Psychology from the University of Puget Sound and a Masters degree in Digital Media from the University of Denver.


Erin joins me today to share how entrepreneurs, business leaders, and executives can identify and eliminate their most significant roadblocks and barriers to find peace and success. She shares her experience with fear and impostor syndrome and describes the route problems and issues that men and women have. Erin also reveals the questions you can ask yourself to discover and change the patterns, beliefs, emotions, and behaviors that are not serving you in your life.

“It doesn’t have to be hard, it doesn’t have to take a long time, and you don’t have to do more, more, more.” - Erin Pheil

This week on The Unwritten Rules Podcast

  • The methodology that MindFix uses to help entrepreneurs, executives, and business leaders eliminate their biggest internal roadblocks that are holding them back

  • Removing the route problems and barriers to make your journey easier

  • How Erin overcame her fear of not doing enough or being good enough

  • How many leaders are often driven by a reason that is not healthy

  • How men and women have the same underlying issues

  • How to help yourself, the question to start with, and starting at the surface

  • Discovering the patterns, behaviors, and beliefs in your life that are not serving you


Our Favorite Quotes

  • “We are kind of like rivers; we all have momentum and flow and are moving toward some type of goal.” - Erin Pheil

  • “If we can subtract what’s causing the challenges, you don’t have to keep trying to be a different person.” - Erin Pheil

  • “We think, feel, and act, according to what we believe.” - Erin Pheil

Connect with Erin Pheil

Writing the Rules of Women Leadership

Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of The Unwritten Rules with your host, Helen Appleby. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media.

Are you making the same four mistakes I made in my corporate career?

Listen to chapter one of my best selling book (free) and find out for yourself!

Share

022 | Speaking Up, Setting Strong Benchmarks & Creating Your Version of Success with Clare Kenny

TUR022 - Speaking Up, Setting Strong Benchmarks & Creating Your Version of Success with Clare Kenny

Clare Kenny is a global brand strategist, and the Founder of AMOK Strategy Ltd. Clare left school at the age of 18 with a dream of being a successful international businesswoman and worked in marketing, brand strategy, and digital transformation with global organizations. Clare was a Division Head for Coca-Cola and the Commercial Director and Head of Communications for the Asian Football Confederation. She was the youngest Marketing Manager at FIFA, working on Euro 96. In her spare time, she promotes equality and is a mentor for young women looking to thrive in business environments.

Clare joins me today to share why it is important for women to speak up and set their own benchmarks. She reveals what it was like to work in male-dominated industries in the 90s and overseas in eastern countries and why you must find your voice and recognize your skills and abilities. Clare shares the risks she has taken throughout her career and a traumatic incident that she, like many other women, have endured. Clare also highlights the power of advocacy and movements such as MeToo and stresses why female professionals need to speak up for other women.

“Don't be scared to be different.”
- Clare Kenny

This week on The Unwritten Rules Podcast:

  • Clare's work within the Ministry of Sport and football associations

  • What it was like to work in the men's-dominated marketing industry during the 90s

  • Finding your voice and setting benchmarks based on your ability and innate skills

  • Why you should be comfortable with being different

  • Taking risks and finding your entrepreneurial spirit

  • The differences between western and eastern companies and their views on female professionals

  • Clare's traumatizing experiences within the professional environment

  • The power of advocacy and telling the truth so things can change

  • Why it is important to speak up for other women, and why we struggle to do this for ourselves

Our Favorite Quotes:

  • “Be brave enough to set your own benchmarks..” - Clare Kenny

  • “The people who have really changed the world and done extraordinary things are different and were different.” - Clare Kenny

  • “Silence is complicity.” - Clare Kenny

Connect with Clare Kenny


Writing the Rules of Women Leadership

Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of The Unwritten Rules with your host, Helen Appleby. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media. And for even more great content, insight, and inspiration on women’s leadership, visit our website. 

While you’re there, be sure to grab your free gift - The Unwritten Rules of ‘Giving Good No’ - a free chapter of my latest book, The Unwritten Rules of Women’s Leadership.

Share

Let’s Get Social