The KTS Success Factor® (a Podcast for Women)

Sarah E. Brown, Ph.D.
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Relationships
  • Updated Monthly

The mission of the KTS Success Factor® Podcast for Women is to bring proven ideas female business leaders can use to increase their ability to achieve big goals and become happy, successful, and understood at work. All this in 25 minutes or less. Sarah E. Brown, Ph.D. is an expert on personalizing work to the unique interests, strengths, and needs of the workforce. A former Managing Director at Accenture, she is now on a mission to reach 250,000 women with knowledge of their unique gifts and the tools to be happy, successful and understood at work.

  1. 1d ago

    Leading Becomes You with Natalie Pickering

    You can be successful on paper and still feel unfulfilled in your leadership. Many high-capacity women leaders are thriving in environments that reward performance while quietly suppressing perspective, intuition, and authentic influence.  Dr. Natalie Pickering is a psychologist, TEDx speaker, and executive coach who helps women in leadership move from autopilot to agency and from performing to becoming. She has worked with hundreds of leaders, teams, and organizations around the world committed to flourishing workplaces and leadership.  Her new book, Leading Becomes You: A Real-World Framework for Leading from the Inside Out, guides leaders into the deeper, human work beneath strategy-- helping them shed the stories that drain them, reclaim the values that anchor them, and inhabit leadership in a sustainable, soulful way that is unmistakably their own.    In this conversation, she shares why many women leaders find themselves adapting to systems that can't keep pace with their growth, and how reclaiming identity clarity can transform the way they lead.   What you will learn from this episode: Why many women leaders feel stuck despite being highly capable and successful. How organizational systems can contribute to burnout, disengagement, and self-silencing. The role identity clarity plays in sustainable leadership and long-term fulfillment.   "Many women are carrying this unprocessed debris from their history, whether that's toxic leadership, relational pressure, chronic stress." – Natalie Pickering   Topics Covered: 01:35 – Why high-capacity women leaders often outpace the emotional maturity of the systems around them 04:15 – How women gradually adapt to unsupportive workplaces without realizing it 05:12 – Reframing burnout: What organizations may be doing to create it 06:08 – Natalie's definition of burnout and the three signs leaders should watch for 08:35 – The inspiration behind Leading Becomes You and Natalie's research-driven framework 09:45 – Understanding the Identity Clarity and Connection Matrix 11:05 – The Four A's: Awareness, Acceptance, Assimilation, and Authentic Activation 14:05 – The balance sheet leaders must use to separate personal challenges from organizational dysfunction 17:40 – What to examine when you feel stuck in your role or career 18:55 – The connection between values misalignment and leadership fulfillment 20:05 – Natalie's Identity-First Leadership Assessment and how it helps leaders gain clarity bit.ly/IFLSelfAssessment    21:00 – The hidden cost of leading without identity clarity—and why self-erosion matters   Key Takeaways: "You can't burn out if you weren't on fire." — Natalie Pickering "I want every leader to have their own approach, their own identity, instead of borrowing someone else's leadership story." — Natalie Pickering "The hidden cost of leading without identity clarity is self-erosion." — Natalie Pickering   Ways to Connect with Natalie Pickering: Assessment: bit.ly/IFLSelfAssessment Book: Leading Becomes You: A Real-World Framework for Leading from the Inside Out Website: https://www.becominginstitute.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drnataliepickering/    Ways to Connect with Sarah E. Brown: Website: https://www.sarahebrown.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrSarahEBrown LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahebrownphd To speak with her: bookachatwithsarahebrown.com

  2. Jul 1

    I Said NO: Setting Real Boundaries with Jen Fry

    You don't need to be mean to have boundaries—you just need to be willing to honor them. If saying "no" makes you feel guilty, selfish, or worried about disappointing others, this episode will help you rethink what healthy boundaries really look like Jen Fry is a conflict literacy expert, TEDxDuke speaker, tech founder, and former NCAA volleyball coach. Through her firm, JenFryTalks, she helps leaders and organizations build cultures of clarity, accountability, and trust by turning conflict into a leadership advantage. She's the author of I Said No: How to Have a Backbone and Boundaries Without Being a Jerk.  In this episode, they unpack why boundaries are so difficult—especially for women—and how to set them without damaging relationships. You'll learn practical ways to say no, enforce your boundaries, navigate guilt, and build the confidence to advocate for yourself with clarity and compassion.    What you will learn from this episode: Why women often struggle more than men to set and maintain boundaries. The difference between saying "no" and actually enforcing a boundary. How micro-advocacy helps build confidence for bigger boundary conversations.   "People are habitual line steppers. They will keep pushing." – Jen Fry   Topics Covered: 02:00 – What conflict literacy means and why it is a critical leadership skill 03:20 – Jen's personal journey with boundaries and why family relationships are often the hardest 05:00 – Why women face greater pressure to say yes and keep everyone happy 09:05 – Why Jen wrote I Said No and the power of storytelling in learning boundaries 10:40 – The true definition of a boundary and why it must involve your own actions 13:05 – Using micro-advocacy to build confidence in speaking up for yourself 18:20 – Creating new habits for yourself and the people around you 19:15 – The powerful reminder that you can leave situations that no longer serve you 21:10 – How Jen navigates friendships with chronic lateness while honoring her own needs 23:00 – The role of repair, reconciliation, and meaningful apologies in healthy relationships 24:45 – How boundaries show up physically in the body and what your emotions are trying to tell you   Key Takeaways: "Women have the hardest time setting boundaries because they don't want to disappoint people." – Jen Fry "A boundary is something that you set, not what someone else does." – Jen Fry "You have to practice advocating for yourself before you can say the big no." – Jen Fry "It's hard to do, but you're worth it." – Jen Fry   Ways to Connect with Jen Fry: Website: https://www.jenfrytalks.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjenfry Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjenfry Book: I Said No: How to Have a Backbone and Boundaries Without Being a Jerk Ways to Connect with Sarah E. Brown: Website: https://www.sarahebrown.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrSarahEBrown LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahebrownphd To speak with her: bookachatwithsarahebrown.com

  3. Jun 14

    The Unsubscribe Framework with Ginny Priem

    You don't need to do more to move forward. Sometimes, the real breakthrough comes from deciding what to stop carrying. Ginny Priem is a keynote speaker, TEDx presenter, master certified coach, bestselling author, and creator of the UNSUBSCRIBE™ framework — a practical system designed to help high-achievers reclaim their time, energy, and focus without losing momentum. In this episode, Ginny shares how burnout, over-functioning, and personal heartbreak led her to rethink success entirely. Together with Dr. Sarah E. Brown, she unpacks why high-performing women often overextend themselves, struggle to set boundaries, and stay trapped in patterns of constant output. You'll also learn the four pillars of the UNSUBSCRIBE™ framework — Block, Mute, Swap, and Manage — and how to use them to create more alignment, clarity, and sustainable success.   What you will learn from this episode: Why high-achieving women often confuse busyness with productivity — and how to shift out of hustle culture. The difference between protecting your peace and isolating yourself from meaningful connection. How the UNSUBSCRIBE™ framework helps you reclaim time, energy, and focus.   "When you start to remove things that no longer serve you, what you notice is it starts to create space for the things that are more aligned."  – Ginny Priem   Topics Covered: 02:05 – Ginny's corporate leadership background and the personal turning point that changed her career path 04:10 – Why the UNSUBSCRIBE™ framework was created and how it helps high-achievers reclaim time and energy 05:48 – Understanding the four pillars: Block, Mute, Swap, and Manage 06:08 – How "manage" helps reduce overwhelm, improve efficiency, and eliminate unnecessary work 11:18 – How recovering people-pleasers can begin setting healthier boundaries 12:02 – Communicating boundaries clearly without damaging relationships 13:42 – Why women tend to overextend, over-carry, and struggle to ask for help 17:20 – Why the UNSUBSCRIBE™ framework resonates strongly with women leaders today 18:08 – Final reflections on releasing what no longer fits and making room for what matters most   Key Takeaways: "High-achieving women are shifting away from hustle culture and toward productivity versus busyness." – Ginny Priem "The people that respect you and your boundaries will see them as a door to keep them in, not walls to keep them out." – Ginny Priem  "I think women tend to feel like they need to carry more." – Ginny Priem    Ways to Connect with Ginny Priem: Website: www.ginnypriem.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ginnypriem Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ginnypriem/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginny-priem-8a87248/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ginnypriem   Ways to Connect with Sarah E. Brown: Website: https://www.sarahebrown.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrSarahEBrown LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahebrownphd To speak with her: bookachatwithsarahebrown.com

  4. Jun 3

    How to Think about a Career Pivot with Suchi Sairam

    You don't always pivot because you know exactly where you're going. Sometimes, you pivot because the version of success you're chasing no longer feels aligned with who you want to become. Suchi Sairam is a chronically curious arts entrepreneur, Bharatanatyam artist, teacher, choreographer, author, speaker, and founder of the Quiet Ambition Project. With a background spanning chemical engineering, executive leadership, global marketing, entrepreneurship, and the arts, Suchi has spent her life bridging worlds — East and West, business and creativity, ambition and fulfillment. In this episode, we unpack what it really looks like to walk away from a successful corporate path, reconnect with creativity, and redefine ambition on your own terms.   What you will learn from this episode:  Why career pivots often begin with moving away from misalignment — not toward a perfectly clear destination. How creativity and the arts helped Suchi embrace career detours instead of fearing them. Why "quiet ambition" resonates deeply with women navigating success, identity, and fulfillment.   "Art kept my mind open to those ideas because without art, I wouldn't have thought about it so creatively." – Suchi Sairam   Topics Covered:  03:58 – Returning to Bharatanatyam after resisting it as a child and rediscovering cultural connection through the arts 09:08 – How art cultivated creative thinking and openness throughout Suchi's corporate leadership journey 10:02 – Realizing corporate success was pulling her away from her values and identity 13:18 – Leaving corporate life, exploring entrepreneurship, and co-founding a toy company 16:08 – Recognizing strengths and stepping into entrepreneurship with uncertainty 17:05 – Becoming an accidental author and how writing sparked the Quiet Ambition Project 22:35 – How StrengthsFinder shifted Suchi's confidence and understanding of her natural abilities 24:38 – The emotional challenge of leaving behind a corporate identity and navigating entrepreneurship 26:32 – Why a pivot doesn't always mean becoming a solopreneur 27:42 – Where to connect with Suchi and learn more about the Quiet Ambition Project   Key Takeaways: "A pivot can be with others within a bigger container organization, within a smaller one, whatever that is." – Suchi Sairam "I realized a lot of my ambition through my life has been quiet." – Suchi Sairam "Engineering and business helped me as an artist, and being an artist helped me in my engineering and business career." – Suchi Sairam   Ways to Connect with Suchi Sairam: Website: https://suchisairam.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suchisairam/ Quiet Ambition Project: https://suchisairam.com/quiet-ambition-project/   Ways to Connect with Sarah E. Brown: Website: https://www.sarahebrown.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrSarahEBrown LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahebrownphd To speak with her: bookachatwithsarahebrown.com

  5. May 20

    How Female Business Owners Can Get Out of Their Own Way to Grow Their Business with Melissa Morris

    You don't have a growth problem. You have a letting go problem. Melissa Morris is the founder of Agency Authority, a project management and operations consultancy that helps small business owners scale without burning out. With over a decade of experience, she's helped countless women step out of client work, build high-performing teams, and finally grow their profits without sacrificing their sanity. In this episode, we unpack one of the most frustrating plateaus for women business owners: doing everything right… and still feeling stuck in the day-to-day.   What you will learn from this episode: Why holding on "just a little longer" is actually what's keeping your business stuck. How poor hiring and "tool hopping" quietly destroy your momentum. The one simple data point that will instantly show you where your business is leaking money.    "You're not micromanaging because you want to — you're doing it because there's no clarity."  - Melissa Morris    Topics Covered: 02:04 - Why you can't let go (and it's killing your business growth) 04:38 -  The delegation mistake that keeps you stuck in the day-to-day 10:08 - This one fix could instantly increase your profit margins 14:28 - Where your time (and money) is secretly disappearing 16:37 - The simple habit that reveals exactly how to scale faster   Key Takeaways: "They are not equipped to fully let go of certain tasks that they actually need to let go of in order to grow and scale their business." - Melissa Morris  "...just because we're creating something that feels more standardized does not mean it's diluting value, quality, or transformation." - Melissa Morris  "Time tracking... will inform your pricing, it will inform your staffing, it will inform your capacity, and that is where the true profit comes from." - Melissa Morris  "Scope creep is one of the fastest ways to destroy your profit margins." - Melissa Morris    Ways to Connect with Melissa Morris: Website: www.youragencyauthority.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissavmorris/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youragencyauthority/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/agencyauthority    Ways to Connect with Sarah E. Brown: Website: https://www.sarahebrown.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrSarahEBrown LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahebrownphd To speak with her: bookachatwithsarahebrown.com

  6. May 6

    What Do You Do When You Get a Cancer Diagnosis with Bron Watson

    What do you do when everything you've built has to coexist with something you didn't choose?  Bron Watson is a two-time cancer survivor, international speaker, and founder of The Serenity Project. After navigating two cancer diagnoses while keeping her business alive, she now helps women build resilience that bends without breaking—challenging toxic hustle culture with evidence-based, compassion-led strategy.   In this episode, we sit inside a moment most people hope they never face — hearing the words: you have cancer. But this is not just a story about diagnosis. It's about identity, survival, leadership, and what it really means to keep going when everything changes. This conversation doesn't offer clichés. It offers something far more powerful: a way to think, decide, and live when your circumstances are no longer negotiable.   What you will learn from this episode: What to do immediately when life throws you into crisis or uncertainty. How to keep a business running when your energy, time, and capacity are limited. What it means to put healing at the center of your decisions, not productivity.    "You are the CEO of your body and your ecosystem."  - Bron Watson   Topics Covered: 01:20 — When life doesn't stop: facing cancer while holding everything together. 06:14 — The moment you realize something has to give — and you choose yourself. 08:29 — Who shows up for you when everything starts to fall apart. 11:52 — Choosing hope, even on the days it feels hardest. 16:53 — Redefining what healing really means when nothing is certain. 22:11 — Creating space for yourself when the world feels overwhelming. 24:18 — Finding calm by focusing only on what you can control. 27:38 — Learning to trust yourself again in the middle of uncertainty.   Key Takeaways: "You can't look at what you don't have anymore. It's what's doable." — Bron Watson "It's very courageous to be able to back yourself." — Bron Watson "Be where your feet are." — Bron Watson    Connect with Bron Watson: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BronWatson  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bronwatson/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bron_watson/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bronwatsonme/  Website: https://www.bronwatson.com.au/  Speaking example: Bron Watson | The Serenity Project | WHEN Stories™    Connect with Sarah E. Brown: Website: https://www.sarahebrown.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrSarahEBrown LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahebrownphd To speak with her: bookachatwithsarahebrown.com

  7. Apr 15

    Soul Toll with Anusia Gillespie

    You've done everything right, built the career, climbed the ladder, checked the boxes. So why does it still feel…off? Anusia Gillespie is a lawyer-turned-novelist and RYT-200 certified yoga instructor. Her work spans the cutting edge of GenAI in the legal industry and the timeless journey of personal transformation. Her debut novel, Soul Toll (to be released October 2026), blends high-achieving ambition with spiritual awakening. In this episode, we dive into the quiet tension so many high-achieving women feel but rarely talk about: the disconnect between external success and internal alignment.    What you will learn from this episode: Why feeling fear or discomfort at work is not a sign to quit, but a signal to pay attention. What "soul work vs. toll work" means and how to recognize the difference in your life. Why changing jobs without self-awareness often recreates the same problems.   "Fear isn't something to push away, it's a signal." – Anusia Gillespie   Topics Covered: 00:00 — Why fear isn't the problem,  it's a signal pointing to deeper truth. 02:10 — From law to transformation: the moment Anusia began questioning her path. 04:45 — Why traditional leadership and self-help advice misses corporate professionals. 07:10 —The concept of "soul toll" and paying for the easier path. 09:40 — Redefining success beyond external validation and societal expectations. 12:20 — Why quitting your job won't solve internal misalignment. 14:30 — Building a new relationship with fear by asking what it's trying to tell you. 16:40 — Authentic leadership starts with letting people truly see you.   Key Takeaways: "The courage to pave your path in a world that's telling you who to be." — Anusia Gillespie On leadership: "Let them see you. How are people going to connect with you and follow behind you if they don't know who you are? — Anusia Gillespie   Connect with Anusia Gillespie: Website: https://anusiagillespie.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anusiagillespie/    Ways to Connect with Sarah E. Brown: Website: https://www.sarahebrown.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrSarahEBrown LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahebrownphd To speak with her: bookachatwithsarahebrown.com

  8. Apr 1

    Love at Work with Kelly Winegarden Hall

    What if the key to high performance at work isn't pressure, control, or perfection; but love? Kelly Winegarden Hall is a leadership expert, business strategist, and founder of Live Large. With over 30 years of experience leading diverse teams and turning around distressed organizations, Kelly helps companies move from surviving to thriving. Her work is rooted in a simple but powerful idea: when people feel seen, heard, and valued, they perform at their best. She is also the author of Love Works: Transforming the Workplace with Purpose and  In this conversation, Kelly shares what "love at work" actually means, how leaders can create cultures of trust and accountability, and why the future of leadership is not about control; but connection.   What you will learn from this episode: What "love at work" really means beyond romance and why it is a leadership strategy. Why replacing delegation with "enrollment" increases ownership and performance. How to lead through division by focusing on shared purpose and human connection.   "The biggest skill that we have these days as leaders is not to be perfect, it's to repair and restore trust." – Kelly Winegarden Hall   Topics Covered: 03:07 - Defining "love at work" as connection, trust, and shared purpose in leadership. 05:38 - Replacing delegation with enrollment to drive ownership and engagement. 09:49 - Using radical transparency to improve decision-making and team alignment. 12:09 - Transforming culture by involving people instead of managing them top-down. 16:41 - The leadership skill that matters most: repairing and restoring trust.   Key Takeaways: "Everyone likes it better when things happen with them instead of to them." — Kelly Winegarden Hall "When people choose to do the work, they do it better." — Kelly Winegarden Hall "Better ideas and better thinking can come from anywhere." — Kelly Winegarden Hall "Our lives are about the quality of our relationships." — Kelly Winegarden Hall    Ways to Connect with Kelly Winegarden Hall: Website: https://kellywinegardenhall.com/  Book: Love Works: Transforming the Workplace with Purpose and Authenticity   Ways to Connect with Sarah E. Brown: Website: https://www.sarahebrown.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrSarahEBrown LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahebrownphd To speak with her: bookachatwithsarahebrown.com

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The mission of the KTS Success Factor® Podcast for Women is to bring proven ideas female business leaders can use to increase their ability to achieve big goals and become happy, successful, and understood at work. All this in 25 minutes or less. Sarah E. Brown, Ph.D. is an expert on personalizing work to the unique interests, strengths, and needs of the workforce. A former Managing Director at Accenture, she is now on a mission to reach 250,000 women with knowledge of their unique gifts and the tools to be happy, successful and understood at work.

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