2B Bolder Podcast : Career Growth and Insights from Women in Business, Tech & Sports

Mary Killelea, Host
  • 5.0 (30)
  • CAREERS
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

The 2B Bolder Podcast brings you into real conversations with women leaders in business, tech, and sports. Going deep into what helped them succeed, shine and stand out as leaders. Hosted by Mary Killelea, a former Intel marketing strategist and career visibility coach, the show shares real stories and practical insights from women who have built meaningful careers and leadership paths. Each conversation provides guidance on: • Building your personal brand with intention • Speaking with confidence and clarity • Strengthening leadership presence and influence • Navigating career transitions with purpose • Advocating for your value in rooms where decisions are made If you’ve ever felt overlooked despite the work you deliver, this podcast will help you show up, speak up, and step forward — with clarity, confidence, and a strong sense of who you are.   Learn more at www.2BBolder.com The 2B Bolder Podcast ranks in the top 3% of 3.5 million podcasts globally (Listen Score).

  1. #152 Elaina Dulaney Shares the Power and Value of Experience and Relationships in Career Resilience

    2D AGO

    #152 Elaina Dulaney Shares the Power and Value of Experience and Relationships in Career Resilience

    Want a masterclass in credibility, change communications, and career resilience without the fluff?  I had the opportunity to sit down with senior communications leader Elaina Dulaney to unpack how strategic storytelling, trusted relationships, and a servant leadership mindset can carry you from small software gigs to agency depth and into the halls of Big Tech on episode #152 of the 2B Bolder podcast. Elaina shares the early principle that shaped her career arc, build experience before kids to create future choice, and the unexpected phone call that turned into an agency, Microsoft work, and eventually a corporate leadership role right before the world shifted. She and I get candid about today’s market: how budgets are tighter, rates are pressured, and job boards can feel like a black hole. Elaina breaks down a practical system for job seekers, 10% applications, 25–30% AI upskilling, 25–30% brand building, and the rest on targeted networking, plus the one constant that still moves mountains: relationships. We talk through “overqualified” bias, why great managers hire strategic doers, and how to spot roles where scope expands but recognition lags. You’ll hear real tactics to surface referrals, maintain momentum, and protect your mindset when you face rejections, even though you are quite capable of the role. For leaders, we dig into the communication blind spots that quietly sink trust: last-minute reviews, skipped rehearsals, and messages that forget the audience. Elaina outlines a change comms playbook built on consistency across stakeholders, durable truth, and live Q&A that shows transparency under pressure. And because AI is changing the craft, we frame it as a copilot, not the pilot, so strategy, ethics, and empathy stay human. We also explore executive presence on LinkedIn, balancing authenticity with professionalism without slipping into performative posts. If you’re building a career in communications, marketing, or tech, or you lead teams through complexity, you’ll leave with a sharper toolkit and renewed conviction that reputation and community are your edge. If this conversation sparks ideas or you want more on these topics, connect with us on LinkedIn, share the episode with a friend, and leave a quick review so we can keep the conversations you care about coming. Tune in as Mary and Elaina talk openly about today's job market and share how they both face it with grace and optimism. Resources: Connect with Elaina Dulaney on LinkedIn Get the LinkedIn Visibility Foundation. Use coupon code: "BOLDER" to receive $50 off.

    44 min
  2. #151 QuantumBloom's Andrea Mohamed on Redesigning Work So Women Stay And Thrive

    FEB 3

    #151 QuantumBloom's Andrea Mohamed on Redesigning Work So Women Stay And Thrive

    Ever feel like you did everything “right” and still got sidelined? We sit down with Andrea Mohamed, COO and co‑founder of QuantumBloom, to unpack why so many women exit tech and what it takes to build workplaces they won’t want to leave. Andrea traces her journey from first‑gen college student to strategy executive and founder, sharing how an MBA unlocked confidence and how glass-cliff roles, nitpicky performance feedback, and unspoken power dynamics still got in the way. The message is clear and practical: stop blaming individuals and start redesigning systems, while equipping women early with the skills that make influence, advocacy, and staying power feel natural. We dig into the critical inflection points where women quietly disengage: the first year after a STEM degree, the leap to management, and the jump to senior leadership, where relationships and influence matter more than output. Andrea explains why the school playbook fails at work, how to unlearn “merit-only” thinking, and what durable skills, communication, negotiation, and cross-functional trust look like in real roles. We talk about psychological safety, manager capability, and pro-family flexibility that benefits everyone, not just mothers, and how these choices change retention. The conversation turns tactical for leaders and HR. Learn to quantify turnover, model retention ROI, and speak the CFO’s language so talent programs no longer get cut. Andrea outlines how HR can evolve, as modern marketing did, moving from “arts and crafts” to a revenue partner, by connecting programs to profit. We also address DEI headwinds, the tall poppy problem, and the courage it takes to be values-aligned and visible without burning out. If you care about keeping women in STEM, building fair systems, and turning excellence into advancement, this one gives you the data, the playbook, and the push. If this resonates, follow, share with a colleague who leads teams, and leave a quick review so more people can find the show. Your feedback helps us keep these conversations bold and useful. Resources: Quantum Bloom is helping companies retain and advance women in STEM by fixing the systems that push them out Andrea Mohamed on LinkedIn Get the LinkedIn Visibility Foundation. Use coupon code: "BOLDER" to receive $50 off.

    52 min
  3. #150 How Tamara Day Built Her Brand From Driveway Sales To HGTV

    JAN 13

    #150 How Tamara Day Built Her Brand From Driveway Sales To HGTV

    Confidence radiates from doing something you're passionate about. Doing it for a living and building talent and vision over time is magic. I had the best time sitting down with award-winning designer and Bargain Mansions TV host Tamara Day to talk about her life before stepping onto the national platform of the Magnolia Network and HGTV. The successes are only part of her story; the heart of her commitment, grassroots community, and her choice of integrity over shortcuts really make her unique. Tamara shares the unlikely chain of moments that led to television, plus the practical habits that kept her grounded once the cameras arrived. We get real about the early fear of filming, the shift from “we” to “I” without losing team spirit, and the tough but necessary rebrand from Growing Days to “Tamara Day” for SEO and discoverability. If you’re building a business around your name or wondering when to pivot a beloved label, this is a masterclass in listening to the data and keeping meaning in the details. We also dig into her love for product design as a second act: creating shallow, wide fixtures for low ceilings, weaving scallops and soft curves across categories, and maintaining a cohesive color story across multiple manufacturers. Tamara explains how she balances creative intuition with business strategy, when to pause a collaboration that doesn’t feel right, and why long-term brand trust beats short-term hype. You’ll leave with usable design ideas: set up a simple drop zone, add a front-door catchall, and try color drenching, one saturated hue across walls, trim, and even ceilings, for big impact on a budget. Tamara’s approach proves that patience compounds, partnerships multiply reach, and the best definition of success includes the freedom to step away for a month with your family. Subscribe to 2B Bolder, share this with a friend who loves design and has ever wondered what it would be like to be a designer on HGTV. See the full library of Women in Business and Tech Career podcasts Episode Title: #150 How Tamara Day Built Her Brand From Driveway Sales To HGTV Transcript Get the LinkedIn Visibility Foundation. Use coupon code: "BOLDER" to receive $50 off.

    43 min
  4. #149 Sandy Carter on How Bold Leadership And Smarter AI Choices Create Real Opportunity

    12/23/2025

    #149 Sandy Carter on How Bold Leadership And Smarter AI Choices Create Real Opportunity

    In this episode of 2B Bolder, I sit down with Sandy Carter, Chief Business Officer at Unstoppable Domains, former AWS and IBM executive, Forbes contributor, and author of AI First, Human Always. We talk about what it really means to take smart risks, build influence through visibility, and lead in fast-moving spaces like AI and Web3, even when you don’t feel 100 percent “ready.” Sandy shares pivotal career moments, including a $5 billion bet that didn’t seem obvious at the time, and the lessons she learned about arriving early, staying late, and taking ownership before permission is granted. We reframe visibility, not as self-promotion, but as credibility, narrative control, and leadership when the stakes are high. We also dig deep into what an AI-first, human-always mindset actually looks like in practice. Sandy explains why AI should start with business outcomes, not tools, and how leaders can redesign workflows, decisions, and customer experiences with AI as the lever, while keeping human judgment firmly in control. From pressure-testing arguments to accelerating research, we talk about where AI adds leverage and where humans must always own voice, values, and accountability. This conversation gets refreshingly real. Sandy shares stories about AI agents quietly changing their own limits, robots learning the wrong behaviors by watching humans, and why simple guardrails, human-in-the-loop oversight, logging, and escalation paths matter more than flashy demos. We also explore why building your own agents, not just relying on ChatGPT, is becoming essential for leaders who want real control and resilience. Finally, Sandy walks through the origin of Unstoppable Women of Web3 and AI and the powerful three-part formula behind it: education, tribe, and recognition, a model that has trained tens of thousands of women and dismantled the tired excuse of “we can’t find qualified women.” If you’re a senior leader navigating responsible innovation, or a rising builder wondering if now is the moment to step forward, this episode offers a clear message: lead while you learn, act before consensus, and put guardrails in place so innovation compounds instead of derails. If this conversation resonated, share it with someone who needs a nudge to be bolder, and leave a review telling me the bold move you’re committing to this week. Resources:  Sandy’s Profile linkedin.com/in/sandyacarterBooksBySandy.comsocialmediasandy.wordpress.com/  See the full library of Women in Business and Tech Career podcasts Sandy Carter's Career Tips for Women Transcript The 2B Bolder Podcast provides first-hand access to some amazing women. Guests will include women from leading enterprise companies to startups, women execs, coders, account execs, engineers, doctors, and innovators.

    38 min
  5. #148 From Engineer To COO: Catherine Wong On Leading With Empathy And Scale

    12/08/2025

    #148 From Engineer To COO: Catherine Wong On Leading With Empathy And Scale

    What if the fastest way to grow your career isn’t a straight climb but a series of smart, sideways moves that sharpen your empathy and judgment?  In this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Catherine Wong, COO and CPO at Entrata, to unpack how she scales products and people by shaping cultures where every voice is invited, and the best ideas surface early. From engineering during the dot-com downturn to leading global teams through acquisitions and hypergrowth, Catherine shares the habits that turn uncertainty into momentum: practice your voice, ask for real feedback, and reward behaviors that build trust. We go deep on how product and operations intersect when you’re building an operating system for real estate. Catherine explains why diverse perspectives improve outcomes and how leaders can intentionally signal what matters by recognizing thoughtful execution, not just loud opinions. Her take on the future of work is refreshingly actionable: AI changes the “how,” not the “why.” Whether you specialize or stay broad, treat curiosity like a muscle. Run small experiments, unlearn out-of-date tactics, and stay anchored to clear business outcomes. You’ll hear practical frameworks for deciding under ambiguity. widen inputs, seek data, welcome dissent, and iterate with agility. Catherine also breaks down visibility tactics for women who are competent but overlooked: volunteer for updates, lead slices of complex projects, and request precise post-meeting feedback. Her story of integrating a UK acquisition while battling imposter syndrome reveals a simple truth: courage plus clarity compounds into trust, scope, and impact. If you care about culture design, product leadership, AI fluency, and building a resilient career in tech, this conversation is a blueprint you can use today. Follow along, share it with a friend who needs a nudge, and subscribe to get more candid, practical conversations. Loved this one? Leave a review and tell us the bold step you’re taking next. Resources: Catherine Wong on LinkedIn Entrata See the full library of Women in Business and Tech Career podcasts Catherine Wong's Career Tips for Women Transcript The 2B Bolder Podcast provides first-hand access to some amazing women. Guests will include women from leading enterprise companies to startups, women execs, coders, account execs, engineers, doctors, and innovators.

    31 min
  6. #147 Caitlin Clark-Zigmond on Scaling Brands, Cleaning Data, Leading With Nerve

    11/12/2025

    #147 Caitlin Clark-Zigmond on Scaling Brands, Cleaning Data, Leading With Nerve

    What if the fastest way to grow your career is to reinvent how you work before the market forces you to? In this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Caitlin Clark-Zigmond, a two-time entrepreneur and former CMO for Intel’s global software and SaaS portfolio, to map the leap from hands-on operator to AI-powered brand builder, and why clear value translation beats clever slogans every time. Caitlin takes us from scaling a catering business to shipping Comcast Digital Voice, to leading massive B2B portfolios at Verizon and Intel. We dig into how Intel Tiber emerged to make software visible inside a hardware giant, uniting trust and security, AI and ML, edge and cloud, performance optimization, and developer workflows under a narrative customers could navigate. The result: sharper messaging, analyst clarity, and real pipeline acceleration. If your portfolio feels like a maze, her brand framework shows you how to draw a clean map. Then we get practical with AI go-to-market. Forget tool-chasing—start with painful use cases, build on clean, connected data, and let AI amplify what already moves the needle. Caitlin explains why a CDP or an MCP layer unlocks CRM, marketing automation, analytics, billing, and customer success, enabling them to communicate effectively with each other. We cover intent data for account prioritization, conversation intelligence for coaching, predictive scoring for pipeline, and agents that handle repetitive data pulls and weekly reporting so teams can focus on thinking, not tab-hopping. For leaders and modern marketers, the upskilling path is clear: achieve 30% fluency in core AI concepts, measurement, and understanding how your stack—HubSpot, Salesforce, GA, CDPs, and chat systems —actually works. You don’t need to code; you need to understand revenue mechanics. We also share Caitlin’s strategic networking system—the 5–5–5 method—that turns coffee chats into an operating system for your career, with value-first follow-ups that work even for introverts. We conclude with candid insights on the value of progress over perfection, investing in relationships before you need them, and redefining success in terms of client transformation, sustainable growth, and work-life integration. Subscribe, share with a friend, and tell us: what’s the scary move you’re finally ready to make? Resources:  Website: www.clarkgp.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlinclarkzigmond Upcoming LILive GTM Event: https://www.linkedin.com/events/2026gtmrealitycheck-makemisalig7393722093324107776/Monthly Blog: https://gtmmaven.substack.com/p/why-the-c-suite-must-work-together See the full library of Women in Business and Tech Career podcasts Caitlin Clark-Zigmond's Career Tips for Women Transcript The 2B Bolder Podcast provides first-hand access to some amazing women. Guests will include women from leading enterprise companies to startups, women execs, coders, account execs, engineers, doctors, and innovators.

    39 min
  7. #146 Monica Livingston, AI Leadership With A Human Core

    11/07/2025

    #146 Monica Livingston, AI Leadership With A Human Core

    AI only works at scale when the shiny demo meets the gritty realities of deployment, security, and change management. In episode #146 of the 2B Bolder Podcast, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Monica Livingston, AI Platform Lead for the Americas at Red Hat and a former Intel leader, to unpack how open source accelerates real outcomes, and why the “plumbing” behind enterprise AI matters more than most roadmaps admit. Monica shares a clear view of what platforms must do in production: version control, monitoring, governance, policy, and cost discipline, all while staying flexible enough to avoid stack lock-in. We get candid about the two biggest misconceptions leaders hold: AI isn’t a black box you plug in once, and the most complex variable is people, not models. Monica explains how to align teams through transparency, psychological safety, and clear KPIs so pilots survive the leap to operations. She also offers practical advice for new managers under pressure, from building trust to making recognition routine, and reflects on mentors who pushed her to trade constant breadth for deep expertise that compounds. For anyone mapping a career in AI, this conversation covers real paths forward, including accessible learning, hands-on projects, and emerging roles that are reshaping the field. We discuss early STEM exposure as a lever for agency, guidance for young women entering the tech field, and the value of calculated risk anchored in personal values such as family and health. Monica also shares her perspective on how to stand out in crowded applicant pools, the power of referrals, and why transformation often occurs on your own time before it becomes a job title. If this resonates, follow and share with a colleague who’s building AI for the real world. Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of open technology, human leadership, and careers with purpose, and leave a quick review to help others find the show. See the full library of Women in Business and Tech Career podcasts Monica Livingston's Career Tips for Women Transcript The 2B Bolder Podcast provides first-hand access to some amazing women. Guests will include women from leading enterprise companies to startups, women execs, coders, account execs, engineers, doctors, and innovators. Get the LinkedIn Visibility Foundation. Use coupon code: "BOLDER" to receive $50 off.

    37 min
  8. #145 Carol Wilder: From Corporate Leader to Impact-Driven Entrepreneur

    10/28/2025

    #145 Carol Wilder: From Corporate Leader to Impact-Driven Entrepreneur

    Curiosity is a gift—but it only turns into momentum when it’s tied to impact. Host of the 2B Bolder Podcast, Mary Killelea, sits down with Carol Wilder, a strategic operator who helped launch the Alexa Skills Kit at Amazon, led generative AI partnerships at Dell, and now advises companies and municipalities on pragmatic AI adoption. Carol shares how aligning questions to concrete outcomes reshaped her career—and how that same shift can turn AI from a buzzword into a lever that reduces cycle time, improves resource utilization, and frees people to do higher‑order work. We trace her pivotal moments: choosing the right team under pressure to ship Alexa skills, learning to communicate with crisp, results‑first clarity, and reinventing after hard feedback by defining what to stand for. Carol explains why so many AI programs stall, starting with tools rather than business goals, and outlines a simple framework: pick the outcome, fix process debt, unify data, then layer intelligence. She also challenges the cost of mass layoffs, noting how creative friction, hallway collisions, and institutional memory are often the real engines of innovation. For women building careers in AI and product management, Carol offers direct, useful guidance: use automation to mute the noise, make impact legible, and build fundamentals in programming and model thinking through credible paths like Coursera and DeepLearning.AI. We explore mentorship as a multiplier, customer‑centricity as adopting a client’s aspirations as your own, and the underrated power of showing up prepared, questions ready, network engaged, and confidence primed. If this conversation helps you refocus on outcomes and sharpen your AI strategy, share it with a friend, subscribe for more candid career playbooks, and leave a quick review to help others find the show. Resources: Carol Wilder on LinkedIn Company websites: productmuseai.ca & www.atomic47.co See the full library of Women in Business and Tech Career podcasts Carol Wilder's Career Tips for Women Transcript The 2B Bolder Podcast provides first-hand access to some amazing women. Guests will include women from leading enterprise companies to startups, women execs, coders, account execs, engineers, doctors, and innovators. Get the LinkedIn Visibility Foundation. Use coupon code: "BOLDER" to receive $50 off.

    44 min
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5
out of 5
30 Ratings

About

The 2B Bolder Podcast brings you into real conversations with women leaders in business, tech, and sports. Going deep into what helped them succeed, shine and stand out as leaders. Hosted by Mary Killelea, a former Intel marketing strategist and career visibility coach, the show shares real stories and practical insights from women who have built meaningful careers and leadership paths. Each conversation provides guidance on: • Building your personal brand with intention • Speaking with confidence and clarity • Strengthening leadership presence and influence • Navigating career transitions with purpose • Advocating for your value in rooms where decisions are made If you’ve ever felt overlooked despite the work you deliver, this podcast will help you show up, speak up, and step forward — with clarity, confidence, and a strong sense of who you are.   Learn more at www.2BBolder.com The 2B Bolder Podcast ranks in the top 3% of 3.5 million podcasts globally (Listen Score).

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