Category: influence

Lindsay Karas Stencel – Startup and Venture Capital Attorney

July 11, 2022 inspiring-women

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My guest, Lindsay Karas Stencel, is a law firm partner, venture capitalist, podcaster, wellness advocate, fitnesser, adjunct law professor, and self-proclaimed dog mom.

One of the reasons that I have such a respect for her is that she thrives in a male-dominated venture capitalist environment. Women represent just 2% of the workforce in venture capitalism. So how does she navigate in that world?

You always want to be in a position where you can make the decisions that are best for you and whether that’s for your career, for your family, for your mental health, whatever.

And when venture capital work is dominated by men, how does she work in that atmosphere?

I never even noticed it because I was just doing my job. Like, shame on me. I should have been better about that. In retrospect, I, I should have. But I was just doing my job. And then I realized like, holy smokes, I have a responsibility. Because if I’m one of the few people who was able to get a role that’s like this and start to pave a pathway for other females and diverse individuals to come, I better like do it right so that their path is a little bit easier. Because mine wasn’t easy.

Lindsey talks about what she would tell women today who are moving up in the corporate ranks.

You can never let that (intimidation) show, that it’s shaking you. If it’s shaking you, don’t let them see it. Because the second that they do, I think a lot of people smell blood in the water and they say like, oh, I can dig in here. The fight isn’t over. We’ve got a long way to go. And so people need to continue to push on.

And how do women do this?

You have to be prepared for that. And you have to be prepared to be better than everybody else that’s around you. And you’ve got to put in the time to do it.

Women can be really tough on women.

I think when people behave in that way, male or female, but females have a tendency to do it to other females for whatever reason. It’s usually a reflection of them. It’s not a reflection of us, right? It’s a reflection because they don’t feel good about themselves. They don’t feel enough. All of those things. Unfortunately, that’s not my problem. Right? That is a them problem and not a me problem.

Find out more about her here.

Hosted by Betty Collins, CPA, and Director at Brady Ware and Company. Betty also serves as the Committee Chair for Empowering Women, and Director of the Brady Ware Women Initiative. Each episode is presented by Brady Ware and Company, committed to empowering women to go their distance in the workplace and at home.

For more information, go to the Insights page at Brady Ware and Company.

Remember to follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. And forward our podcast along to other Inspiring Women in your life.

Categories: C-suite, confidence, influence, leadership

What Does It Take To Be An Inspiring Woman Leader?

September 13, 2021 inspiring-women

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For me, an inspiring woman is simply a woman who can fill somebody with the desire or urge to do something worthwhile. It’s someone who lives their life every day, based on the core of what she believes. And it influences me to be open, and maybe even change. So, it’s someone who creates a better world. They have to live their lives on their terms. There’s something very motivating about that. We’re all inspired differently, so take some time to think about it. How can you inspire? I need to have others around me, who are better, and have different insights, so I can be better. I challenge you to dig deep and realize that you have a role to play in that. You need to figure it out, and then do it. Become that inspiring woman leader. I assure you that someone needs to see it and be influenced by you. And by the way, you might already be influencing other women and you don’t even know it. With me on this episode is Lori Kaiser. She is a chief executive, corporate leader, visionary, and business strategist with a proven track record in assessing risk and creating solutions for Fortune 500 Company C-Level Executives and Boards. As CEO of Kaiser Consulting, Lori provides clients’ value-based services that allow organizations to navigate transitions and successfully execute critical projects. Women need to take more risk and be braver in career decisions. Lori gives us insight on that. Her passion about this subject shines throughout the episode. Her advice to women on how to become an inspired leader. Ask yourself what is YOUR version of success. Be bold, take risks. Be a lifelong learner. And last, but not least, connect with interesting people. Mentioned in the podcast was Shonda Rhymes and her book Year of Yes. How Women Rise by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith. And the podcast How I Built This.

This is THE podcast that advances women toward economic, social and political achievement. Hosted by Betty Collins, CPA, and Director at Brady Ware and Company. Betty also serves as the Committee Chair for Empowering Women, and Director of the Brady Ware Women Initiative. Each episode is presented by Brady Ware and Company, committed to empowering women to go their distance in the workplace and at home.

For more information, go to the Insights page at Brady Ware and Company.

Remember to follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. And forward our podcast along to other Inspiring Women in your life.

Categories: authenticity, confidence, influence, leadership, networking, values Tags: Tags: Kaiser Consulting, Lori Kaiser

Powerful Partnerships And Networks For Women Leaders

August 9, 2021 inspiring-women

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The underlying issue of this topic is that partnering means that you are not alone while trying to build your career, your business. My greatest times, professionally and personally, have been when I started these powerful partnerships and networks for women. It continues to play a major role in my life as a leader. I wish I knew this when I was 20 something, even in my 30s. But I didn’t really get it until I was in my late 40s. No matter what age you are, or at any point you are in your professional career, it’s really key to have powerful partnerships and networks. And by the way, it’s not just a professional thing. This continues to be so huge for me personally.

Be open to making sure you’re establishing these types of relationships.

Less is better with relationships, because they’ve got to be correct for you. They need to be strategic, lining up with your why. I’m not talking about connecting with big names people. I’m talking about people who have similar goals and ethics as you. And they get out there, and they influence. Never underestimate the power of those partnerships. It takes work and commitment. You’ll need to be consistent and persistent to build these relationships. But the dividends are huge in your personal and professional development and impact.

With me on the episode is Mary McCarthy, Co-founder and President of the Women’s Small Business Accelerator. The Women’s Small Business Accelerator (WSBA) is a non-profit accelerator founded by successful women business owners for women business owners. They provide education, peer support, mentoring, and accountability to help women on their entrepreneurial journey – to start and grow their own businesses.

I am also joined by Michelle Casper, President of NAWBO Columbus. Established in 1996, NAWBO Columbus has a longstanding history in the greater Columbus area. They are currently the largest chapter in the nation and pride ourselves in elevating women business owners through connections, advocacy, and mentorship.

And last, but not least, I am honored to have Rachel Winder from the Ohio Women’s Coalition on this episode. The Ohio Women’s Coalition is a diverse, non-partisan alliance of women in business, women leaders, women business owners, and men that support the mission across Ohio who are coming together to improve the economic position for all women in our state. The OWC was created to amplify the voice of women in Ohio and to help draw attention to the unique challenges that women encounter, especially underserved women of color and women who live in underserved areas of the state, to gain access to economic opportunities in order to achieve financial stability and prosperity.

These three women are willing to give, with a blind eye to how it helps them.

For more information, go to the Insights page at Brady Ware and Company.

Remember to follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. And forward our podcast along to other Inspiring Women in your life.

Categories: connecting, influence, leadership Tags: Tags: Mary McCarthy, Michelle Casper, NAWBO, Ohio Women's Coalition, Rachel Winder, Women's Small Business Accelerator

Developing Resilience

July 12, 2021 inspiring-women

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I speak with Farideh R. Bagne, Ph.D.,JD. She’s one of the most brilliant, successful and hardworking people that I’ve ever met. She has an amazing story, with some great insight on resilience. And she’s built this really cool bridge at Magnolia by the Lakes, the gold standard of senior living, a luxury Independent and Assisted Senior Village on the shores of Cass Lake, overlooking Sylvan Lakes in Oakland County Michigan. I think you’re going to want to hear about the story about this for sure.

As Dr. Bagne states…

You know that thing when you look challenge in the eye and you don’t blink and you even have a smile on your face. That’s what we’re going to talk about. So don’t miss out. My advice to you again is, number one, belief in yourself and do not have a defeatist attitude. Always remember that race, national origin, gender had nothing to do with business, science, medicine or whatever endeavor you are planning to do. It is not what others think of you. It is what you think of yourself. And with that attitude, believe that you should have that axiom of your life that truly everything happens for the best. And at the moment that disaster happens. You don’t know what the best is, but believe that somehow it will be and will become one of the best events of your life unless you follow these three acts and you’ll really become successful throughout your life.

Coming up on July 30th is the 7th annual Brady Ware Women’s Leadership Conference. Each year, 100% of the proceeds go to support women initiatives through non profit organizations within Ohio. This year our supporting non profits are the Better Business Bureau and the Women’s Small Business Accelerator.

Many months ago when we began planning for this year’s conference, we felt it best to err on the side of safety, so this year’s conference will be held virtually. While this may not be the most ideal situation, it does allow for us to offer participants speakers that are nationally recognized as well as locally recognized women leaders.

We’re excited to be able to present keynote speaker, Peggy Klaus, author of ‘Brag! How to toot your own horn without blowing it’. We’ll start the morning with a lively discussion with a panel of women business owners and leaders.

And to add to the excitement of the day, you’ll be able to network, visit exhibitor tables and win wonderful prizes throughout the day!

I would like to personally invite you to join us on July 30th. Just go to Columbus Women’s Leadership dot com and complete a simple form. We’ll do all the rest!

Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your knowledge! Register now! ColumbusWomen’s Leadership dot com

Hope to see you there!

For more information, go to the Insights page at Brady Ware and Company.

Remember to follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. And forward our podcast along to other Inspiring Women in your life.

Categories: confidence, influence, journey, woman-owned business Tags: Tags: Farideh R. Bagne, Magnolia By The Lakes, Women's Leadership Conference

The Value of Forward Thinking

October 12, 2020 inspiring-women

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You’ve got to be a forward thinker.

You’ve got to be proactive if you want to move forward and get through the “what ifs” when they come. Forward thinking is not always easy. It might not be your personality. So you’ve got to at least have somebody on your team who’s a forward thinker, who can push you to do more, think bigger.

In this episode, I speak with Jill Frey, President / CEO at Cummins Facility Services. I consider her the definitive forward thinker.

Cummins Facility Services (CFS) is a national multi-faceted facility management company servicing Fortune 500 companies across the US. CFS is a 100% women owned enterprise.

Cummins provides services including janitorial, landscaping, snow removal, HVAC, security, floor care, and light maintenance to manufacturing plants, retail stores, medical facilities, schools, corporate offices as well as the hospitality industry. Jill took over leadership of the family business, which began in 1972, after graduating from the University of Toledo in 1994.

About being a female in a male-dominated business category…

So in my opinion, it’s all about respect. You’ve got to stand your guard and you’ve got to really stick up for who you are. I’ve been in this industry literally my whole life. And people can try to say that they can bully me around. But I started in this industry rolling up my sleeves and working with my employees. I know how to do it. I know how to strip and waxer. I know how to do all of that. And that’s gotten me so far ahead. I get so excited about my industry and my employees and my people and what’s going on. And I think if they don’t take me seriously, it’s going to come back on them.

Jill talks about how have she navigated through this COVID-19 time, and what she thinks that this industry will look like in the future…

It has changed our life. And the quote that I like to use for this is what 9/11 did to buildings, COVID-19 is doing to disinfection and facilities. And I truly believe that. Nobody’s had a guidebook. No one’s had a book of “this is what you do here.” It’s never existed before. And so we had to reinvent that.

And her clients are appreciating her outlook, her forward thinking and quick action…

Our clients were telling us that the information that we were sending out is the best information that they are getting from any of their sources. It was amazing. We’ve had so many clients sending us letters of thank you, presidents of companies. Thank you so much for cleaning our facility.

And she ends our interview with three great quotes, and here is one of them…

The best way to predict the future is to invent it.

For more information, go to the Insights page at Brady Ware and Company.

Remember to follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. And forward our podcast along to other Inspiring Women in your life.

Categories: confidence, destination, family-owned business, influence, leadership, woman-owned business Tags: Tags: Cummins Facility Services, Jill Frey

Defining Success – Does It Have To Be The C-Suite?

September 14, 2020 inspiring-women

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So many people think success is they’ve made it to the C-suite.

The C-suite is not the only success that is out there in your career in business, so I want to talk about that in this episode.

What might be a better definition of success? How about this (not mine, but well worth sharing) – “Put your heart, your mind, your intellect, and your soul, even into every small act.”

That is a secret of success. Anything that you do in life, give it 110 percent.

My idea of success has changed a lot over 55+ years. Success depends upon the season you’re in. Your 20’s are different than your 30’s, and different than your 40’s, and different than your 50’s. Every season has been different for me (and will be for you), so success looked different in every season (and will be for you).

I enjoyed my career more, I think, because I wasn’t always shooting for being number one.

Being number one is not for the weak. It’s a tough place to be. I still had success because I had a different impact, and influence, and most importantly, I enjoyed and seized the moments in my life outside of the corporate four walls.

I’ve listened to Will Ferrell’s 2017 commencement speech to USC several times.

USC is where he attended. He talks about his success, of course, with all humor involved. He talks more about his 16-year marriage, his boys, his charity. He talks very passionately about the USC family, but he really talks about his journey getting there.

He doesn’t start out by saying, “I was on Saturday Night Live.” He doesn’t talk about, “I’ve made all these movies.” He’s just happy with other things besides being the number one, and all the different things that come along with that.

We can’t all be in the C-suite.

Many of us, first of all, are not meant to be there; we’re not leaders. The good news is you can enjoy success outside of the C-suite.

By the way, top leaders need followers. We can learn from them, and probably we have similar characteristics.

How do we learn from those in the C-suite?

Ask yourself “What does a C-suite person do? What is their success?”

They prioritize. Because when you are number one, you cannot do everything. We can do that (prioritize) in any situation. They get to the point. They drill it down. They make a decision. They go forward. They probably ask a lot more questions. They get a lot of good advice from all around them.

Decisions have impact, so those in the C-suite have to make good ones, because there’s a lot of people relying on them. Trust is at the core of everything with a successful C-suite person. If you don’t have that team and support, you can’t do it.

We all have different career goals to achieve success. There’s nothing right or wrong, and success is measured differently by all of us.

Unfortunately, we tend to obsess over our goals and our career. Most of us do. All the career goals and the success you have, whether you’re in the C-suite, or you’re just going to occur in your own world. All of those goals are valid. So, no matter where you are, focus on yours, and stick to yours, and not to others.

Here are some definitions of success that you should not ignore.

Success is always doing your best.
Success is learning that you sometimes have to say no and really being careful when you say yes.
Success is learning.
Success is understanding you cannot keep what you don’t give away.
Success is overcoming fear.
Success is being loved and loving back.
Success is standing your ground when you believe in something.
Success is not giving up.
Success is never letting a disability hold you back and understand that you control your destiny.
Success goes way beyond the C-suite.

Ultimately, you define success, and you enjoy it. Have a good journey, and don’t be consumed in the destination, especially to the C-suite.

For more information, go to the Insights page at Brady Ware and Company.

Remember to follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. And forward our podcast along to other Inspiring Women in your life.

Categories: C-suite, episode, influence, leadership, personal growth, personal motivation, personal success, professional success Tags: Tags: C-suite, leadership, personal success, professional success

Finding And Owning Your Voice

May 11, 2020 inspiring-women

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Finding and owning your voice.

Strengthening your inner confidence.

It’s your identity expressing itself. It’s your personality, and it’s your individual message to the world.

I believe that there is power in that feminine voice, and it’s missing in too many conversations. From the business environment – your office, the marketplace, the boardroom, to politics, and in our homes. If we are there, it’s so crucial that the voice is heard.

In this episode, I hope to help you to move forward in owning your voice, and claiming that power.

Of course, if it’s only for the greater good.

You first have to recognize you probably have something valuable to say. You have to be strategic, though, about what you say and when you say it. Don’t speak for the sake of speaking. Be sure that you speak thoughtfully, in an engaging manner, when you want to be heard.

Words really matter.

People’s perception and how they’ve heard you is your of choice of words. Speaking isn’t just saying what you want. Speaking isn’t just having your voice. Words matter to make things happen.

You must be willing to speak up when something goes against what has a deep value for you. Silence in those moments really talks about your character. And be prepared for possible backlash when you do. Criticism comes with being a leader, regardless of your gender. The labels, and the name-calling have very little to do with you, personally. It’s really about how uncomfortable you’re making some people. Don’t take it personally, and just move on.

When you’re finding your voice, it’s one step at a time. Slow and steady.

This is THE podcast that advances women toward economic, social and political achievement. Hosted by Betty Collins, CPA, and Director at Brady Ware and Company. Betty also serves as the Committee Chair for Empowering Women, and Director of the Brady Ware Women Initiative. Each episode is presented by Brady Ware and Company, committed to empowering women to go their distance in the workplace and at home.

For more information, go to the Insights page at Brady Ware and Company.

Remember to follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. And forward our podcast along to other Inspiring Women in your life.

Categories: confidence, destination, empowerment, episode, influence, journey, leadership, personal growth Tags: Tags: confidence, leadership, opportunities

Becoming A Woman Of Influence

December 9, 2019 inspiring-women

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Influence is merely the capability to have an effect on the character, development or behavior of something. Do you want to be that woman of influence? I hope so. We’re counting on you actually.

The movie I talk about in this podcast is not a real life. Sandra Bullock acted out, and was determined to have influence about historical buildings. She really wanted the community center where she grew up to stay intact. But she had enough insight in that moment, when she saw the look on her parents’ faces, she knew that the building had been torn down. And she knew what she was doing was not working. So she changed the way or the approach to influence her agenda of historic preservation.

I use this movie as an example in this podcast to show how you can become a woman of influence. What’s the movie? Listen and find out.

This is THE podcast that advances women toward economic, social and political achievement. Hosted by Betty Collins, CPA, and Director at Brady Ware and Company. Betty also serves as the Committee Chair for Empowering Women, and Director of the Brady Ware Women Initiative. Each episode is presented by Brady Ware and Company, committed to empowering women to go their distance in the workplace and at home.

For more information, go to the Insights page at Brady Ware and Company.

Remember to follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. And forward our podcast along to other Inspiring Women in your life.

Categories: confidence, influence Tags: Tags: influence