From a Woman to a Leader

Limor Bergman Gross
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From a Woman to a Leader is the women in tech leadership podcast — honest conversations with senior women in tech about promotions, visibility, and leading without burning out.

  1. 20h ago

    Thriving Through Crisis: Turning Uncertainty Into Opportunity with Marina Naomi Smolyanov

    Have you ever been the only one in the room who sees things differently, and quietly wondered if that makes you a problem instead of an asset? If you have ever walked into a traditional, change-resistant organization as a woman and felt like you had to shrink your pace, your energy, or your ideas just to fit in, this episode is for you. My guest is Marina Naomi Smolyanov, and she does something that sounds almost impossible. She drives AI and innovation inside one of the largest, slowest, most traditional healthcare systems in the world, as a woman and as an outsider. We talk about why she was hired precisely because she was different, how she turns every crisis into a reason to reinvent herself, and what it really takes to move a system that does not want to move. In this episode: - Why the "difference" you keep apologizing for is the exact reason you belong in the room - How to lead change in an organization that is built to resist it - What being an outsider lets you see that the people on the inside never will - How to be assertive without being aggressive when you are the woman driving the agenda - What AI in healthcare actually looks like day to day, beyond the buzzword About Marina: Marina Naomi Smolyanov is a healthcare innovation leader, international speaker, and PhD researcher studying how crises reshape innovation and leadership. At Clalit Health Services, one of the largest healthcare organizations in the world, she leads the adoption of AI and new technologies and builds partnerships with healthtech startups as regional innovation manager for the Haifa and Western Galilee district. Connect with Marina: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-naomi-smolyanov-83995115/ Website: https://marina983.wixsite.com/marinasmolyanov Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marina.smolyanov/ Connect with Limor: Website: https://limorbergman.com Podcast: https://limorbergman.com/podcast/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/limorbergman/ Substack: https://limorbergman.substack.com Search terms: women in tech leadership, women in health tech, driving innovation, leading in a male dominated field, AI in healthcare, thriving through crisis, being the outsider at work.

    Thriving Through Crisis: Turning Uncertainty Into Opportunity with Marina Naomi Smolyanov

  2. Jul 21

    How to Network When You're Introverted and Don't Know Anyone with Tzufit Herling

    You walk into the room. You don't know anyone. So you find a spot near the wall, you look at your phone, and you wait for someone to talk to you. And usually, no one does. Tzufit Herling knows that feeling, because that used to be her. She's built communities for a living for almost a decade; she's advised founders and organizations around the world, and three years ago she moved to Portugal without a single connection or the language. In this episode, she walks through exactly how a quiet, introverted person builds a real network on purpose, without pretending to be someone louder. In this conversation: Why "just network more" is useless advice, and what to actually do firstHow to build connections in a place (or a job) where you know no oneHow to choose which communities are worth your time when there are a hundred of themWhy giving value first is the whole game, especially if you hate self-promotionHow to walk into a room full of men and not stand there circling alone About Tzufit: Tzufit Herling helps organizations, founders, and professionals grow through communities. She's the founder of Connecteur, a certified Meta community management company, and a Facebook Certified Community Manager who has spent years building professional communities across ecosystems and continents. She learned all of this as a self-described deep introvert, which is exactly why her approach works for the rest of us. Connect with Tzufit:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tzufitherling/Website: http://www.connecteur.co/ Connect with Limor: Website: ⁠https://limorbergman.com⁠ Podcast: ⁠https://limorbergman.com/podcast/⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/limorbergman/⁠ Substack: ⁠https://limorbergman.substack.com⁠ Searches this answers: how to network as an introvert, how to build a network when you don't know anyone, networking for women in tech, how communities help your career, building connections in a new city.

    How to Network When You're Introverted and Don't Know Anyone with Tzufit Herling

  3. Jul 14

    Why Your Successful Life Feels Empty — And How to Build One That's Actually Yours | Leila Lahbabi

    Your career looks good on paper. The salary, the title, the house. From the outside, you've made it. So why does it feel like it belongs to someone else? In this episode, Limor sits down with Leila Lahbabi, who left a prestigious strategy consulting career in France, moved back to Morocco, and built two companies and a book called Billion Dollar Purpose. Leila gets honest about the gap between looking successful and feeling successful, the guilt of wanting more when you "should" be grateful, and the day she cried at daycare drop-off and made a promise to herself that changed everything. This is a conversation for any woman who is quietly wondering if the life she built is actually hers, and who has been taught that asking for help means she's weak or broken. In this episode: Why looking successful and feeling successful are two different things, and how to tell which one you're livingWhat "you're not starting from scratch" really means when you're afraid to begin againWhy the people who cheered you on can go quiet the moment things start working, and how to handle itHow to move from "Chief Everything Officer" to CEO so you stop being the bottleneck in your own businessWhy asking for help is courage, not rescue, and how women get this backward About Leila: Leila Lahbabi is the founder and CEO of MindImpact and Mindful Academy, and the author of Billion Dollar Purpose. A former strategy consultant, she now helps purpose-driven founders scale their businesses without burning out by attracting, developing, and retaining high-performing teams. She lives in Morocco with her two daughters. Connect with Leila:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leilalahbabiimpactstrategyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@leilalahbabi Book (Billion Dollar Purpose): available on Amazon Instagram: search "Leila Lahbabi" Questions this episode answers: why does my successful life feel empty, how to know when to leave a good job, leaving corporate to start a business, how to scale a business without burning out, why is it so hard for women to ask for help, feeling unfulfilled despite success.

    Why Your Successful Life Feels Empty — And How to Build One That's Actually Yours | Leila Lahbabi

  4. Jul 7

    Stop Waiting for Someone More Qualified (Dr. Karny Ilan)

    You keep waiting for someone more qualified. A mentor who has done it before, a manager who will finally say you're ready, a role model who proves it's possible. But what happens when that person doesn't exist? Dr. Karny Ilan went looking for a role model who was both a surgery resident and a startup CEO. She couldn't find a single one. So she became one. In this episode, Karny shares how three students with no business experience raised over $2 million for Feminai, an at-home breast cancer screening startup; why every senior surgeon told her "don't do it to yourself, especially because you're a woman," and why she stopped planning to hand her company to a "real CEO." What you'll hear: Why VCs feel less comfortable with female founders, and why showing up as yourself, not in a costume, is what actually builds trustWhat to do when you can't find a role model who looks like youHow Karny runs a company between 30-hour hospital shifts, and why a strong why beats any time management systemThe shift from "at some point I'll bring in a CEO" to "it's my company, no one will do this better than I do" About Dr. Karny Ilan:Karny is a general surgery resident at Sheba Medical Center and the CEO and co-founder of Feminai, developing the first AI-powered remote breast cancer screening platform for at-home use. She was named to the Forbes Israel 30 Under 30 list, recently led Feminai's seed round with Vertex Ventures, and became a mom shortly after we recorded this conversation. Connect with Karny:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karny-ilan/Feminai: https://www.feminai.com/ If you've ever waited for permission, waited for a role model, or waited to feel ready, this episode is for you. Listen to more episodes: https://limorbergman.com/podcast/

    Stop Waiting for Someone More Qualified (Dr. Karny Ilan)

  5. Jun 30

    From Top Engineer to New Manager: Why No One Tells You the Rules Have Changed

    You were the best engineer on the team. So they made you a manager. And then, as Megan Robinson says, no one told you the rules had changed. If you've ever felt like you're winging it as a new manager, or you're waiting for a title before you act like a leader, or you keep doing great work hoping someone will finally notice, this episode is for you. Limor sits down with Megan Robinson, founder and CEO of eLeader Experience, who has spent her career building leadership capability for technical leaders, engineers, product people, and operations people who were promoted for their expertise and are now expected to lead. They get honest about why the move from individual contributor to manager is so hard, why "doing good work" isn't a promotion strategy, and how to build real influence before anyone hands you authority. In this conversation: Why your value completely changes the moment you become a manager, and what to measure instead of output"Leadership is influence, not a title" — what that actually looks like day to dayThe difference between waiting for things to fall into place and making them fall into placeHow to build cross-department relationships that make you more valuable (the "what's in it for them" approach)Why business acumen is the missing skill for technical leaders, and how to start thinking like the CEOThe unspoken assumptions that are quietly limiting your value, and how to name them About Megan Robinson: Megan is the founder and CEO of eLeader Experience. She helps technical and high-performing professionals make the leap from doing great work to leading people, influencing stakeholders, and driving change, without overexplaining, people-pleasing, or burning out. Connect with Megan: eLeaderExperience.com | LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tritcak Connect with Limor:Website: https://limorbergman.comPodcast: https://limorbergman.com/podcast/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/limorbergman/Substack: https://limorbergman.substack.com Resources mentioned: John Maxwell — "Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less." Maxwell's core definition of leadership, from The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. → https://www.johnmaxwell.comRobin Sharma — The Leader Who Had No Title — On the idea that you don't need a title or anyone's permission to lead. → https://www.robinsharma.com/book/the-leader-who-had-no-titleStephen Covey — Circle of Influence vs. Circle of Control — A framework from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People for focusing your energy on what you can actually affect. → https://www.franklincovey.com/the-7-habits/WIIFM / WIIFT — "What's in it for me?" / "What's in it for them?" — A classic sales and marketing lens Megan uses for building genuine, value-driven relationships at work.

    From Top Engineer to New Manager: Why No One Tells You the Rules Have Changed

  6. Jun 25

    "Your English Sucks, But I Like Your Energy" | Solo | My Take on flaws and gifts

    "Your English sucks, but I like your energy." A radio station manager said it to this week's guest, Lirone Glikman, when she walked in looking for a show. It sent me straight back 25 years. In this solo episode I take you to the first big tech conference I ever attended, Java One in San Francisco, where I stood at the top of an enormous escalator looking down at thousands of engineers, mostly men, and felt completely terrified. As a quiet, introverted woman, I couldn't even go to a session alone. For years, I believed something was wrong with me. What I eventually learned, and what Lirone reminded me of this week, is that it was never about changing who I am. It's about recognizing who I am, naming the things I see as flaws, and doing the thing anyway, because I bring something else to the table. In this episode: Why I didn't realize I was an introvert until years after that conferenceThe story of why I almost never started this podcastA recent room full of senior coaches where I felt like the least experienced person, and what I brought that they didn'tWhy you should focus on your gifts, not on what you think you're missingThe question to ask yourself when something is holding you backYour version of "my English sucks, but I bring..." If you've ever felt too quiet, too inexperienced, or too different to put yourself out there, this one is for you. Listen to Wednesday's full conversation with Lirone Glikman, author of The Super Connector's Playbook, wherever you get your podcasts. Connect with Limor: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/limorbergman/Coaching: https://limorbergman.com/coaching/Newsletter/Substack: https://limorbergman.substack.com/From a Woman to a Leader drops guest episodes every Wednesday and solo episodes every Friday.

    "Your English Sucks, But I Like Your Energy" | Solo | My Take on flaws and gifts

  7. Jun 23

    How to Build a Brand When You're Shy and Introverted | Lirone Glikman, Author of The Super Connector's Playbook

    Lirone Glikman has built relationships across 28 countries, and she's convinced that showing up as yourself, accent and all, is your biggest unfair advantage. She's a global keynote speaker, personal branding expert, bestselling author of The Super Connector's Playbook, and founder of The Human Factor. In this episode, Lirone and I get practical about the two things most women in tech avoid: building a personal brand and in-person networking. You'll hear: The Bondi Beach radio manager who hired her with "your English sucks, but I like your energy," and why your vibe matters more than your accent"I'm not fearless — I just decided life is too fragile not to live it" (Lirone on losing her mom at 21 and how it shaped every bold move since)How to build a brand from five simple foundations: goal, message, strengths, values, and feelingThe "Google yourself" exercise to audit what AI and the internet say about you and how to fix itHow to use ChatGPT and Claude to create content without losing your own voice"We have no privilege not to build our brand", and how to start small in one hour a weekThe VCP model (Visibility, Connectivity, Profitability) and why women build relationships beautifully but rarely askThe Q&A hack: how introducing yourself at a conference gives people permission to approach youThe 90-list: a five-minute-a-day system for nurturing relationships before you ever need themWhy impostor syndrome quietly costs you — and how to build your own value by doing Resources mentioned: The VCP Process by Dr. Ivan Misner (founder of BNI): https://ivanmisner.com/what-is-the-vcp-process/The 90-list by Michael Port: https://www.heroicpublicspeaking.com/articles/networking-relationships-that-lead-to-gigs Guest: Lirone Glikman — keynote speaker, personal branding expert, and author of The Super Connector's Playbook Connect with Lirone: Book + workbook: https://www.lironeglikman.com/tscp-bookAmazon: https://www.amazon.com/Super-Connectors-Playbook-Authentic-Relationships/dp/1761242083LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lironeglikmanInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lirone.glikman Connect with Limor: LinkedIn: Limor Bergman GrossCoaching: https://limorbergman.com/coaching/Newsletter/Substack: https://limorbergman.substack.com/ From a Woman to a Leader drops every Wednesday. Subscribe wherever you listen.

    How to Build a Brand When You're Shy and Introverted | Lirone Glikman, Author of The Super Connector's Playbook

  8. Jun 16

    The Power of Not Knowing | Merav Yanai, Founder of Leap

    Merav Yanai spent 30 years watching companies fail their managers, and she finally did something about it. She's an HR executive who moved to operations after an acquisition, led a major merger across US and Israeli teams, then left corporate to found Leap, an AI tool that gives mid-level managers the real-time thinking partner most of them never get: private, in the flow of work, available when the actual problem shows up. In this episode, Merav and I go deep on career transitions, the psychology of leading out of your depth, and what the AI revolution is really demanding from managers right now. You'll hear: Why Merav walked into her operations team in week one and named the elephant in the room out loud — and what happened nextThe "power of not knowing" mindset she uses every time she steps into unfamiliar territoryWhat nobody warns you about when you make a career move: you lose your identity, your authority, and your confidence, and you have to rebuild all threeWhy 70% of managers still learn by trial and error — and what Merav built to change thatHow Robin (Leap's AI agent) works differently from ChatGPT, Gemini, or any general-purpose LLMThe question Robin asked her, which she couldn't answer at first, was: "How would you change your behavior to get a different result?"Early results: 12% faster decision-making, 30% improvement in strategic thinkingWhether AI will make coaching and mentoring redundant (short answer: no, but the role shifts)Guest: Merav Yanai, founder of Leap (myleap.ai), former VP HR and Operations executive Connect with Merav: https://www.linkedin.com/in/merav-yanai/ Connect with Limor: LinkedIn: Limor Bergman GrossCoaching: https://limorbergman.com/coaching/Newsletter/Substack: https://limorbergman.substack.com/ From a Woman to a Leader drops every Wednesday. Subscribe wherever you listen.

    The Power of Not Knowing | Merav Yanai, Founder of Leap
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From a Woman to a Leader is the women in tech leadership podcast — honest conversations with senior women in tech about promotions, visibility, and leading without burning out.

Information

  • Creator
    Limor Bergman Gross
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    191
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Limor Bergman Gross
  • Show Website
    From a Woman to a Leader