Shameless Leadership

Sara Dean
  • 4.7 (794)
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Welcome to Shameless Leadership! This show is for women, transgender people, non-binary folks, and allies who are committed to advancing their leadership and the leadership of those around them. In this space, we believe everyone deserves to feel seen, heard, valued, and supported. Our mission is to help you foster these feelings within your own circles of influence to build trust, psychological safety, and a culture of belonging. In each episode, we dive into essential topics impacting women in leadership - everything from shutting down your inner critic and imposter syndrome to overcoming perfectionism to using your voice in new ways to advocate for yourself, your ideas, and other folks carrying marginalized identities. You'll hear practical tips, effective strategies, and inspiring stories that will not only enhance your leadership skills but also broaden your perspective to become a more confident, thoughtful, and empathetic leader. Our stories come from people carrying identities who are often underrepresented, underestimated, and excluded. By sharing their experiences, we aim to provide you with invaluable lessons that will transform your leadership journey. We are thrilled to have you join this community of Shameless Leaders who are actively creating a world where everyone, regardless of gender, can intentionally lead through a more curious, compassionate, and inclusive lens.

  1. 974: How to Navigate Leadership Visibility and the Responsibility of Being Seen | Leadership Strategies

    2D AGO

    974: How to Navigate Leadership Visibility and the Responsibility of Being Seen | Leadership Strategies

    Leadership visibility sounds empowering, even exciting… until you’re the one being seen. In this episode, I’m talking about why stepping into new levels of visibility so often triggers discomfort, imposter syndrome, and a very loud inner critic, especially for women and others who were never encouraged to take up space or were judged for doing so in the past. I share a recent conversation with a friend facing a visibility opportunity and how it sparked a deeper reflection on why being seen can feel risky even when we know our work matters. I unpack what actually happens when your leadership expands beyond your comfort zone and opens the door to judgment, assumptions, people unfollowing or quietly pulling away - and why none of that means you’re doing it wrong. I offer a reframe I come back to often: those who judge are rarely in the arena with you. Those who are not in the arena are not entitled to live in your head rent-free.  Visibility brings up emotions in others, but their reactions are not your responsibility. Your responsibility is your mission, your values, and the people who are helped because you chose not to stay quiet. This episode is an invitation to think differently about visibility, not as self-promotion, but as service. I’ll walk you through questions to anchor yourself when discomfort shows up, including who your visibility helps, what’s at stake when you’re seen, and how being visible challenges the status quo and expands what’s possible for others. If you’ve been feeling the pull to step into a brighter spotlight in 2026 but the urge to avoid discomfort feels just as strong, this conversation is for you. Links Mentioned: [Open Enrollment] Join Sara’s Aligned Leadership Incubator: saradean.com/aligned Hire Sara to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with Sara: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with Sara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks Book: Daring Greatly by Brene Brown Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    37 min
  2. 973: INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP: The “Ambition Gap” is Gaslighting Women. Again.

    JAN 6

    973: INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP: The “Ambition Gap” is Gaslighting Women. Again.

    The Lean In and McKinsey & Company Women in the Workplace 2025 report claims that, for the first time, women are less likely than men to want a promotion, stating that 80% of women want to be promoted to the next level, compared to 86% of men.  They label this development an “ambition gap”, stating that women are currently less ambitious than men.  This label is wildly inaccurate, deeply offensive, and grossly irresponsible. Calling these findings an “ambition gap” is strategic reframing that places blame back on women, per usual, while letting broken systems (and the power players who uphold them) off the hook.  When powerful institutions confuse correlation with causation and misdiagnose the problem like this, women pay the price. Again. These kinds of reports shape policy, leadership decisions, funding priorities, and how women are talked about at work. This label is not ok.  It is harmful. The report assumes ambition is singular and linear, defined by traditional corporate ascent, and treats women’s slower advancement or disengagement as a personal failure instead of a rational response to inequitable systems and poor resource allocation. Most critically, the report ignores caregiving realities entirely.  You cannot meaningfully analyze women’s ambition in 2025 without examining care infrastructures - or lack thereof.  Choosing to ignore this is a distortion of reality.  In other words, this is gaslighting.  In this episode, I highlight other voices and data that were conveniently ignored.  This counter data shows us what we already know - women are more ambitious than ever.  Rather than seeking out a deeper understanding of the data, Lean In and McKinsey opted to report dirty diagnostics.  What we know about data analysis is that to get to the real why, you have to dig deeper, think critically, and ask crucial questions of the actual people impacted.  This didn’t happen with this reporting. When you actually talk to women, the situation is clear.  We are no longer willing to self-abandon inside systems that refuse to evolve. We know that to get to the reported 80%, we were required to work exponentially harder with fewer resources.  This is proof of our ambition, resilience, and talent, not lack thereof. The headline is not about an ambition gap.  The headline is that women are growing, evolving, and working smarter while institutions largely are not. In reality, what we are seeing is an institutional gap, a patriarchal gap, and a systems gap.  The bottom line is this… If we want to truly understand the evolution of women’s ambition, we need to start by examining the systems that punish it. Links Mentioned: Lean In and McKinsey & Company Women in the Workplace 2025: https://leanin.org/women-in-the-workplace Blessing Adesiyan on the Care Gap:https://thecaregap.substack.com/ More about Blessing Adesiyan: https://blessingadesiyan.com/ Chief and Harris Poll Data on Women’s Ambition: https://chief.com/articles/calling-bs-on-the-myth-of-womens-fading-ambition [Open Enrollment] Join Sara’s Aligned Leadership Incubator: saradean.com/aligned Hire Sara to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with Sara: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with Sara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    27 min
  3. 972: Jennifer R. Hudson: Leadership, Loss, and the Quiet Power of Midlife Transitions

    12/30/2025

    972: Jennifer R. Hudson: Leadership, Loss, and the Quiet Power of Midlife Transitions

    In early 2025, my dear friend Jennifer started telling me about how she was preparing for her youngest child to leave for college.  She was celebrating this parenting milestone while also preparing for the grief.  Simultaneously, she was watching her father’s health deteriorate.  She knew 2025 would be a year of massive change.  And, it most certainly was.  I had the opportunity to connect with Jennifer throughout the year, and when she felt ready, I was honored to invite her to the show to discuss the overlap of life, grief, work, and the magical opportunities that arise for midlife women.   Professionally, Jennifer R. Hudson is an award-winning communications leader with more than 25 years of experience helping organizations strengthen and grow their brands through strategic, effective communication. She has led communications programs, facilitated workshops, launched businesses, and secured high-impact media coverage for both corporations and nonprofits. Before founding ThinkBeyond Public Relations, Jennifer served as Vice President of Communications at British Airways, overseeing internal and external communications across 18 markets, and held senior communications roles at Sabre and American Airlines, where she was a Spanish-speaking spokesperson. Jennifer is an accredited public relations professional (APR), a certified mentor and coach supporting entrepreneurs and social impact leaders, and a past president of PRSA Greater Fort Lauderdale. She was named PRSA Greater Fort Lauderdale’s 2024 Communicator of the Year.  Most notably, Jennifer is the proud mom of two grown children who still love coming home to visit their mom on a regular basis.  Listen in to hear Jennifer share: The difference between mentally preparing for change, loss, and grief and actually enduring them How navigating change and life transitions has improved her leadership focus and personal and professional goals Practices that help leaders stay centered and purposeful when personal life changes collide with professional responsibilities The unique opportunities that come out of hard seasons to create new and transformational experiences How vulnerability builds leadership trust and perfectionism erodes it The importance of giving yourself time to reflect on 2025, release what needs to be released, and claim what you want to own and carry forward from 2025 The PR framework leaders can use to sustain visibility and consistency in their communications without burning out or losing themselves in the process Links: Learn more about Jennifer and ThinkBeyond: wethinkbeyond.com Reach out to Jennifer: jen@wethinkbeyond.com  Connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenrhudson/ Connect with Jennifer on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thinkbeyondpr/ [Open Enrollment] Join Sara’s Aligned Leadership Incubator: saradean.com/aligned Hire Sara to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with Sara: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with Sara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    53 min
  4. 971: LEADERSHIP TIPS: 6 Rules I’m Breaking in 2026

    12/23/2025

    971: LEADERSHIP TIPS: 6 Rules I’m Breaking in 2026

    As we head into a new year, I’m just as focused on breaking rules as I am on setting goals. In this episode, I share six leadership “rules” most of us have followed for years that I’m consciously unlearning as I step into 2026. These are the quiet, normalized rules that fuel burnout, decision fatigue, over-functioning, and self-silencing - especially for women and especially in midlife. This episode is both a reflection and an invitation to question the rules you’ve inherited, absorbed, or outgrown, and to decide what actually serves the person you are choosing to become as you step into a new year. I walk through productivity rules that say more output equals more value, and share why I’m shifting toward tracking energy instead of hours, creating more white space, and protecting time for thinking and breathing (I’m really bad at breathing). I unpack confidence rules like needing to “feel confident” before speaking up and the belief that strong leaders shouldn’t show doubt. We also dig into communication rules that tell women to soften their message to keep others comfortable, and visibility rules that limit us to who people think we’ve been rather than who we are becoming.  Finally, I challenge the midlife career rules that say you should have it all figured out by now and legacy rules that tell us impact only “counts” if it’s big, visible, or measurable. The truth is that midlife can absolutely feel like expansion, not a plateau.   For the next year, I’m focused on my 2026 legacy rather than a lifetime headline.  I’m doing this by doubling down on upholding my values, challenging myself, making meaning, and defining success on my own terms. As you listen, I invite you to reflect on this question: “In 2026, I’m breaking the rule that says ______.” Links Mentioned: [Dec 9th and Jan 8th] Shameless Rising: a 2-part workshop series to release the noise, reclaim your voice, and reignite your vision in 2026: saradean.com/rising [Open Enrollment] Join Sara’s Aligned Leadership Incubator: saradean.com/aligned Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    23 min
  5. 970: LEADERSHIP MINDSET: 2026 Trends for Midlife Women That Prove Our Power Is Peaking

    12/16/2025

    970: LEADERSHIP MINDSET: 2026 Trends for Midlife Women That Prove Our Power Is Peaking

    There is no denying that 2025 has been a doozy for women and anyone carrying a marginalized identity.  AND… I’m seeing midlife women step into a completely new season of power, clarity, and momentum. We are the backbone of everything strong and sustainable, including our companies, our communities, and our families. For decades, we've been the stabilizers, culture shapers/shifters/carriers, and trust-builders, and now organizations and society are finally waking up to the value of lived experience, emotional intelligence, and the quiet leadership skills we’ve built while carrying so much.  There is a growing recognition that our wisdom isn’t just nice to have, it’s our essential secret sauce, what sets us apart, what gives us undeniable collective power, and what is critically needed in workplaces, community organizations, and all sectors of government. We are also seeing a movement in reinvention. Mid-life women are moving up, out, around, and into what actually fits. We’re starting businesses, staking a claim, demanding appreciation, and refusing to shrink or settle. This is happening while we’re in the middle of a full-blown Health Revolution. We are normalizing perimenopause and menopause care, nervous-system support, rest, play, and renegotiating the division of caregiving labor in all environments. We’re leading this shift, no longer just whispering about it in the shadows, and it’s changing how we work, lead, and live.  And maybe the most powerful shift of all? Our confidence is starting to come from authenticity over performance. We’re tired of proving, perfecting, and pleasing. Showing up real, grounded, values-led, a little quirky, and deeply human is becoming the new leadership standard women are setting for ALL. We’re reframing our struggles as strengths—whether that’s caregiving experience, neurodivergence, or navigating perimenopause. This matters because there is real momentum available to us if we pay attention.  This episode will inspire you to think differently about your power, take bold action, and ask yourself a few critical questions to inform your 2026 decision-making. Links Mentioned: [Open Enrollment] Join Sara’s Aligned Leadership Incubator: saradean.com/aligned Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    23 min
  6. 969: LEADERSHIP STORIES: How to Find Mentors in Unlikely Places

    12/09/2025

    969: LEADERSHIP STORIES: How to Find Mentors in Unlikely Places

    I love having mentors.  Watching and learning as others navigate the world is one of my superpowers.  Sometimes I feel like a spy as I closely and quietly observe the behavior of others and think, “Oh, I want to be more like THAT.”  Because I love learning and growing personally and professionally, I have hired many mentors and coaches over the years - paying well over 6 figures to learn how to improve many aspects of my life.   However, some of the most important mentorships I’ve benefited from have been totally free and come from unlikely relationships.  In this episode, I talk about the mentorship I’ve received from one of my sisters-in-law.  On paper, our lives are wildly different.  We were born in different generations, have had very different career paths, and many different interests.  However, there is an overlap in some of our most important core values that has always made it feel like she just gets me.  That said, she approaches life with a quiet wisdom and deep curiosity that I don’t have (yet).  I pay close attention to how she asks questions, how she listens with her head and her heart, how she speaks with compassion, and how she is never afraid to learn or try something new.  I’m curious for you, who are the people you already have proximity to who might be your greatest teachers, even though they lead a very different life than you?  And, what might happen if you were to identify and adopt some of their greatest strengths as your next stepping stones of growth?  Listen in to learn how to find and learn from these kinds of unlikely mentors in your life.  Links Mentioned: [Open Enrollment] Join Sara’s Aligned Leadership Incubator: saradean.com/aligned Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    26 min
  7. 968: Lauren Tetenbaum: The Importance of Workplace Menopause Advocacy 

    12/02/2025

    968: Lauren Tetenbaum: The Importance of Workplace Menopause Advocacy 

    When I learned of Lauren Tetenbaum’s work around workplace menopause advocacy, I knew I wanted her to come on the show.  Talking about menopause at work is long overdue.  When there is something that directly impacts 50% of our population, 100% of us are impacted in some way.  We need to be talking about menopause at work.  Period.  Lauren Tetenbaum, LCSW, JD, PMH-C is a licensed clinical social worker, women's rights advocate, writer, and mom dedicated to supporting and empowering women through life transitions. With experience as both a lawyer and a psychotherapist, Lauren specializes in counseling women navigating identity shifts related to motherhood, career, and reproductive health. Lauren frequently contributes thought leadership to media and professional organizations; she is the author of the 2025 book Millennial Menopause: Preparing for Perimenopause, Menopause, and Life's Next Period.  Listen in to hear Lauren share: Why reproductive healthcare is a workplace issue The perimenopause/menopause symptoms that impact women at work Accommodations workplaces can make that support women in perimenopause/menopause (that benefit others too!) Benefits that workplaces can easily add to improve healthcare access for midlife women When and how to prepare for perimenopause instead of waiting for it to “hit you” in a way that profoundly impacts your life The costs we are seeing for employers who are choosing to NOT address menopause in the workplace How men can advocate for menopause friendly policies, education, and accommodations in the workplace Links Mentioned:  Connect with Lauren: millennialmenopause.com Get Lauren’s book: Millennial Menopause Lauren on IG: @thecounselaur: https://www.instagram.com/thecounselaur/ Lauren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenatetenbaum/ Organization: Let’s Talk Menopause Organization: The Menopause Society [Dec 9th and Jan 8th] Shameless Rising: a 2-part workshop series to release the noise, reclaim your voice, and reignite your vision in 2026: saradean.com/rising [Open Enrollment] Join Sara’s Aligned Leadership Incubator: saradean.com/aligned Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    52 min
  8. 967: LEADERSHIP STORIES: 5 Lessons I’ve Learned in 50 Years

    11/25/2025

    967: LEADERSHIP STORIES: 5 Lessons I’ve Learned in 50 Years

    I recorded this episode on the eve of my 50th birthday.  I’m writing this show description at 6:23am on the morning of my 50th birthday.  50 feels weird.  Maybe because for the first 48ish years of my life, it felt one million years away.  Then, suddenly it’s just… here…  For the past few months, people have been asking me what I plan to do to celebrate this monumental birthday and it’s felt overwhelming to decide on one thing.  I feel this pressure to make the BEST choice because I’ll always remember whatever I choose.  Therefore, it must be super special and memorable.  That’s just too much pressure.  To date, I’ve made no decisions.  I don’t know how I’m celebrating. I guess I’ll have to keep you posted in that arena.   Instead of making the perfect birthday plan, I’ve been thinking about what 50 means.  I have a few thoughts about this milestone and the apparent wisdom everyone says women unlock at this age.  In fact, I was sitting with a multigenerational group of people last week and laughing about how at every new age milestone (20, 30, 40, 50, etc.) we think we “finally” have it all figured out.  However, I think the older I get, the more I realize there is so much more to still figure out.  That actually feels really exciting.  In this episode, I’m sharing 5 things I’ve figured out so far.  But, honestly, I’m so excited to uncover so many new learnings in the years and decades to come!  Today, I’ll share the major lesson my 13-year-old keeps reminding me (that is as profound as 6-7), how I’m embracing messiness and the “worst” parts of myself, what I’m protecting most, and where I’m mining for magic.   THANK YOU to you for listening to the show and being a significant part of my life.  10 years ago, on the morning of turning 40, I had no idea I would launch a podcast that would be approaching 10 years and 1,000 episodes.  In fact, at this time 10 years ago, I was just starting to think about, “maybe I’ll do a podcast… someday….”  It’s an honor to be in your ear.  Thank you for listening, sharing, and making my work feel meaningful.  Meaningful work has always been and always will be one of the very best parts of my life.  I couldn’t do it without you.  Links Mentioned: Join me for Shameless Rising, a 2-part workshop series to release the noise, reclaim your voice, and reignite your vision in 2026: saradean.com/rising [OPEN ENROLLMENT] Join Sara’s Aligned Leadership Incubator: saradean.com/aligned Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    27 min
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Welcome to Shameless Leadership! This show is for women, transgender people, non-binary folks, and allies who are committed to advancing their leadership and the leadership of those around them. In this space, we believe everyone deserves to feel seen, heard, valued, and supported. Our mission is to help you foster these feelings within your own circles of influence to build trust, psychological safety, and a culture of belonging. In each episode, we dive into essential topics impacting women in leadership - everything from shutting down your inner critic and imposter syndrome to overcoming perfectionism to using your voice in new ways to advocate for yourself, your ideas, and other folks carrying marginalized identities. You'll hear practical tips, effective strategies, and inspiring stories that will not only enhance your leadership skills but also broaden your perspective to become a more confident, thoughtful, and empathetic leader. Our stories come from people carrying identities who are often underrepresented, underestimated, and excluded. By sharing their experiences, we aim to provide you with invaluable lessons that will transform your leadership journey. We are thrilled to have you join this community of Shameless Leaders who are actively creating a world where everyone, regardless of gender, can intentionally lead through a more curious, compassionate, and inclusive lens.

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