In Her Words

Roberta Dombrowski
  • 5.0 (4)
  • CAREERS

In Her Words is a podcast for women navigating life’s turning points—with clarity, heart, and a little bit of mess. Hosted by Roberta Dombrowski, each episode features honest reflections and grounded conversations about career shifts, motherhood, identity, and ambition. Whether you're stepping into a new role at work, preparing for a baby, or just figuring out what’s next, this show offers a place to feel seen, supported, and inspired. You don’t need to have it all figured out to begin—just start here.

  1. Ep 32 | From Tech to Tranquility with Carol Rossi

    2D AGO

    Ep 32 | From Tech to Tranquility with Carol Rossi

    Send us Fan Mail What does it look like to weave together two very different worlds for decades and then finally let that single world become the whole?  In this episode of In Her Words, I sit down with Carol Rossi, a private yoga instructor and spiritual direction practitioner, who has spent over 30 years moving between the worlds of tech and yoga before retiring from UX research to teach full time. Carol shares how a cancer diagnosis became the catalyst that brought her path into focus. She shares with us why she was surprised to find clients from 30 years ago showing up when she made the leap and what she wishes more people understood about yoga before they ever set foot in a class. Topics Discussed in the Episode Weaving in and out of tech and yoga for over three decadesHow a cancer diagnosis accelerated her decision to retire from techThe grief of having to stop teaching yoga when her corporate work took overBuilding a private yoga practice rooted in relationship and personalizationHow yoga doesn’t look anything like what beginners assumeHow to find the right yoga practice and teacher for youAbout Carol Rossi Carol Rossi offers private yoga instruction and spiritual direction grounded in over 35 years of yoga practice, a decade of dance training, and certification in both yoga and spiritual direction. Her work is shaped by 20+ years of contemplative study and centers on breath, presence, and accessibility.  Connect with Carol Rossi Website: https://www.lobeymovement.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lobey_movement/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587138740737 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crossiux/  Season 2 reflection exercises https://www.learnmindfully.co/store Grab Consciously Crafting Your Career Path: https://www.learnmindfully.co/store Connect with Roberta on LinkedIn  If this episode sparked new insight, please consider rating, following, or reviewing the show. It’s the best way to help more people find and benefit from these vital conversations. Thanks for listening!

    32 min
  2. Ep 31 | Embracing a Multipassionate Path with Elizabeth Burke

    APR 28

    Ep 31 | Embracing a Multipassionate Path with Elizabeth Burke

    Send us Fan Mail What does it look like to stop squeezing yourself into one identity and finally let all of your passions work together? In this episode of In Her Words, I sit down with Elizabeth Burke, founder of Collective Expansion, who has worn more hats than most. Her colorful history includes work as a corporate event planner, a high school art teacher, a UX researcher, and currently, as a consultant and coach to purpose-driven entrepreneurs. Elizabeth shares with us what being multi-passionate really means, how her father's passing led her to teaching, what it felt like to outgrow a system she once loved, and why she believes career transitions are going to happen whether you're ready or not. Topics Discussed in the Episode Embracing being multi-passionate instead of dimming it downLeaving teaching after nearly a decade The emotional labor no one warns you about in UX researchBuilding Collective Expansion to help purpose-driven practitioners scale their impactWhy entrepreneurship keeps asking you to look at yourself more deeplyHow to move through career transition with compassion instead of fearAbout Elizabeth Burke Elizabeth weaves together her background in strategic event planning, education, and UX Research to design impactful experiences that activate learning, understanding, and transformation. She supports purpose driven practitioners in expanding the reach of their message and methods to create a positive impact in the world. Taking work from one to one, to one to many is a big step. Elizabeth is here as a trusted guide and thought partner to provide insight, inspiration, and support along the journey. Collective Expansion was created to deepen the experience of sharing bodies of work that make a difference in the world, and to support the growth and expansion of the practitioners who share their knowledge in service of others. She loves finding the small details that make your work unique, memorable, and meaningful and creating systems that support scaling these for your work to have an even wider impact on the world in ways that light you up.  As a lover of nature and great food, you can often find her hiking on the trails and in the kitchen exploring a new recipe. She loves continuing to get to know herself on a deeper level through exploring practices in art & creativity, mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and forever challenging herself to grow as a learner. A believer that joy is important, she moves through the world finding ways to create moments of delight for herself and those around her. Connect with Elizabeth Burke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-anne-burke/  Season 2 reflection exercises https://www.learnmindfully.co/store Grab Consciously Crafting Your Career Path: https://www.learnmindfully.co/store Connect with Roberta on LinkedIn  If this episode sparked new insight, please consider rating, following, or reviewing the show. It’s the best way to help more people find and benefit from these vital conversations. Thanks for listening!

    35 min
  3. Ep 30 | How Failure Builds Confidence with Aïcha Doucouré

    APR 21

    Ep 30 | How Failure Builds Confidence with Aïcha Doucouré

    Send us Fan Mail What happens when you've burned out not once, not twice, but three times and finally realize you're the common denominator? In this episode of In Her Words, I sit down with Aïcha Doucouré, coach and founder of Wise Wild, who moved from France to the Bay Area by checking a single box on an employee survey and never looked back. Aïcha shares her winding path through GE, Uber, OpenTable, and Dropbox, the psychedelic therapy experience that reset everything, and how a sing circle taught her more about failure, fear, and resilience than any corporate role ever did. Topics Discussed in the Episode Moving from France to the Bay Area by accidentThree burnouts across tech and what they finally revealedHow psychedelic therapy cracked open a new definition of successReframing fear as the foundation for courage and trustFinding confidence through failure in a sing circleWise Wild - creating in-person spaces where failure is genuinely welcomeAbout Aïcha Doucouré: Originally from Paris and rooted in the Bay Area for over 20 years, Aïcha knows what it means to have the courage to reinvent herself. After 15+ years leading global strategic programs in tech and corporate, she hit a wall. In 2019, burnout brought everything to a stop. Rather than rushing back, she took the time to truly understand what had happened and what she wanted her life to look like on the other side. That turning point became her greatest teacher. It led her to become an Integral Coach, who coaches the whole person: cognitive, somatic, emotional and relational intelligence. She is deeply committed to helping leaders and individuals reconnect with themselves, build healthy work cultures, and show up with more clarity, resilience, and purpose. Today, Aïcha teaches and coaches on effective communication at UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. Additionally, she is a leadership coach with Behavioral Essentials, the organization behind Blindspotting, a Harvard Business Review science-based tool helping leaders identify the blind spots getting in the way of their full impact and fulfillment. Connect with Aïcha Doucouré: Instagram  LinkedIn Season 2 reflection exercises https://www.learnmindfully.co/store Grab Consciously Crafting Your Career Path: https://www.learnmindfully.co/store Connect with Roberta on LinkedIn  If this episode sparked new insight, please consider rating, following, or reviewing the show. It’s the best way to help more people find and benefit from these vital conversations. Thanks for listening!

    28 min
  4. Ep 29 | Finding Stability in Entrepreneurship with Mary Brown

    APR 15

    Ep 29 | Finding Stability in Entrepreneurship with Mary Brown

    Send us Fan Mail What does it look like to go from contract UX researcher to business owner?  Not by launching something from scratch, but by buying a company that was already running? In this episode of In Her Words, I sit down with Mary Brown, co-owner and COO of Your Therapy Billing, an insurance billing company supporting small and mid-size therapy clinics. Mary shares how repeated layoffs in tech sparked a search for something more stable and self-directed, how the loss of her mother reframed what she wanted from her career, and what the first nine months of owning a small business actually feels like from the inside. Topics Discussed in the Episode How layoffs in UX and tech led Mary to rethink her career pathDiscovering entrepreneurship through acquisition and the community that made it possibleWhy she chose an unglamorous, recession-proof business over a sexy oneThe biggest personal shift moving from individual contributor to business ownerNavigating the day-to-day realities of owning and operating a small businessWhy insurance billing is so broken and why that makes her work matterAbout Mary Brown Mary Brown is the Co-Owner and Chief Operating Officer of Your Therapy Billing, an insurance billing company supporting small and mid-sized therapy clinics. She spent eight years in UX research at companies like LinkedIn and Pinterest, helping teams navigate uncertainty by deeply understanding people and turning ambiguity into clear decisions. After experiencing layoffs, the instability of the job market, and profound personal loss, Mary chose not to wait for permission or the “perfect” next role. Instead, she made a bold pivot into small business ownership.  In April 2025, she acquired Your Therapy Billing and now leads the company with a focus on growth, smarter systems, and solving real pain points. Her journey is shaped by resilience, adaptability, and a belief that women don’t need linear paths to build meaningful, successful careers. They just need the courage to redefine them. Connect with Mary Brown on LinkedIn  Season 2 reflection exercises https://www.learnmindfully.co/store Grab Consciously Crafting Your Career Path: https://www.learnmindfully.co/store Connect with Roberta on LinkedIn  If this episode sparked new insight, please consider rating, following, or reviewing the show. It’s the best way to help more people find and benefit from these vital conversations. Thanks for listening!

    37 min
  5. Ep 28 | From Burnout to Business Owner with Bianca Gay

    APR 7

    Ep 28 | From Burnout to Business Owner with Bianca Gay

    Send us Fan Mail What happens when you stop trying to make a career path linear and start asking what kind of work actually makes sense for you right now?  In this episode of In Her Words, I sit down with Bianca Gay, owner of Three Coupe Society, a small business focused on crafting intentional beverages and collaborating with local businesses to curate thoughtful drink experiences. Bianca shares her journey from UX researcher at Foot Locker to entrepreneur, the burnout that finally pushed her out the door, and how she and her husband are building something rooted in community, creativity, and collaboration one intentional drink at a time. Topics Discussed in the Episode Navigating constant change and ambiguity in corporate as a Black womanBurning out with a plan — and running toward something, not just awayCo-running a business with your spouse as two introvertsWhy Three Coupe Society runs on word of mouth and values alignmentCreativity practices that embrace process over perfectionLetting go of the linear career path and following what gives you energyAbout Bianca Gay Bianca Gay is the owner of 3 Coupe Society, a small business focused on creating thoughtfully-crafted drinks and collaborating with local businesses to curate intentional beverage menus. They host events that encourage a community curious about what’s in their coupe!  She is also a freelance operations specialist, which allows her to blend her experience as an Experience Researcher and Operations Manager by helping other businesses solve organizational challenges and establish strategic priorities. Connect with Bianca Gay instagram: @3coupesociety website: 3coupesociety.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/biancagay  Season 2 reflection exercises https://www.learnmindfully.co/store Grab Consciously Crafting Your Career Path: https://www.learnmindfully.co/store Connect with Roberta on LinkedIn  If this episode sparked new insight, please consider rating, following, or reviewing the show. It’s the best way to help more people find and benefit from these vital conversations. Thanks for listening!

    33 min
  6. Ep 27 | The Entrepreneurs Mindset with Pame Barba

    MAR 31

    Ep 27 | The Entrepreneurs Mindset with Pame Barba

    Send us Fan Mail What does it really look like to grow up inside a business, and then go on to build several of your own? In this episode of In Her Words, I sit down with Pame Barba, facilitator, strategist, and leadership coach, to trace her winding path from a sweater factory in Ecuador to a startup incubator in Atlanta to her current season as a full-time corporate employee who never stopped being an entrepreneur at heart. Pame shares the honest, unglamorous side of entrepreneurship, the anxiety that drove some of her biggest decisions, the moment she realized she was chasing the wrong metrics, and why she thinks portfolio careers are the future. Topics Discussed in the Episode Growing up entrepreneurial across two countries and industriesBurning out of tech at 27 and starting a business from scratchThe mindset game no one warns you about in entrepreneurshipHow anxiety quietly ran her business decisions for yearsRedefining "enough" instead of chasing big revenue goalsWhy different seasons of life call for different career pathsAbout Pame Barba Pamela Barba (she/her/ella) believes that it’s up to us to create the world we want to live in. And it starts with you owning your brilliance. (yes, you!) She helps entrepreneurs and creators launch and scale their one-of-a-kind ideas. Her grounded advice has been featured on Forbes and on stages nationwide. As a previously undocumented immigrant, she became an advocate for economic and immigrant equity after her family lost everything and migrated to the US. Now she helps marginalized folks transform their communities by launching brands, businesses, and community-driven projects. After spending a lifetime in the design and entrepreneurship space she learned that safety and self-trust are key in the creation process. She’s obsessed with demystifying innovation and guiding folks to trust their inner fire. Whatever the case wherever the wifi is connecting Pamela is on a mission to help folks start some sh*t. Connect with Pame Barba http://www.mspamelabarba.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamelabarba/ https://startsomething.beehiiv.com/   Season 2 reflection exercises https://www.learnmindfully.co/store Grab Consciously Crafting Your Career Path: https://www.learnmindfully.co/store Connect with Roberta on LinkedIn  If this episode sparked new insight, please consider rating, following, or reviewing the show. It’s the best way to help more people find and benefit from these vital conversations. Thanks for listening!

    34 min
  7. Ep 26 | What I Heard: The State of Work for Women in Tech with Roberta Dombrowski

    MAR 24

    Ep 26 | What I Heard: The State of Work for Women in Tech with Roberta Dombrowski

    Send us Fan Mail Over the last two months, I've been doing research with women in tech — and what I found is bigger than my own work with Learn Mindfully. It's a reflection of the moment we're all living in right now. In this solo episode, I'm sharing the themes that surfaced most consistently across my conversations: compounding trauma from repeated layoffs, burnout that gets blamed on the individual, a job market that's quietly eroding confidence, and a grief that most of us haven't had space to name. This isn't a personal failing. It's a systemic one. Topics Discussed in the Episode Layoffs are causing compounding, recurring trauma in techBurnout is systemic — but we're internalizing it personallyThe job market is actively eroding confidence and identityManager relationships are the single biggest factor at workGrief beneath the burnout — mourning a version of work that's goneWhy most support out there is actually gaslightingLearn more about Get Your Story Straight About Roberta Dombrowski Roberta Dombrowski is Founder of Learn Mindfully and host of In Her Words. She has over a decade of experience spanning tech, non-profits, and academia. Her work has been featured by the Association of Talent Development, Learning Guild, and Product School. She holds PCC accreditation through the International Coaching Federation, CPCC through Co-Active Training Institute. Her unique approach blends the wisdom of the head, heart, and body - guiding clients to rediscover joy, resilience, and connection in their work and lives.  By fostering deeper self-awareness and authentic leadership, Roberta helps individuals reshape how they relate to their careers, themselves, and their teams. Her personal experience as a transracial adoptee and overfunctioning tech executive heavily influences her approach to business. Season 2 reflection exercises https://www.learnmindfully.co/store Grab Consciously Crafting Your Career Path: https://www.learnmindfully.co/store Connect with Roberta on LinkedIn  If this episode sparked new insight, please consider rating, following, or reviewing the show. It’s the best way to help more people find and benefit from these vital conversations. Thanks for listening!

    11 min
  8. Ep 25 | Unlocking Creativity with Victoria Montgomery

    MAR 17

    Ep 25 | Unlocking Creativity with Victoria Montgomery

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I sit down with Victoria Montgomery, transition coach and founder of Voice Nerve Motion LLC, to explore her journey from corporate burnout to entrepreneurship. Victoria shares how a growing disconnect from her creative roots and the grief of watching time pass without honoring her values sparked a deeper reckoning in her professional life.  Together, we talk about the physical and emotional toll of working in a misaligned environment, exactly when she knew it was time to leave, and what it looks like to help others navigate similar transitions. Victoria also opens up about her evolution as a leader, the power of curiosity and emotional intelligence in the workplace, and the creative practices she's embracing this year. Topics Discussed in the Episode Reconnecting with creativity through shadow workBurnout, values misalignment, and leaving corporatePhysical symptoms of a misaligned work environmentHow insecure leadership erodes credibilityEffort vs. force and finding values alignmentVictoria's coaching practice at Voice Nerve Motion LLCIntentional creative practices to prioritize in the new yearAbout Victoria Montgomery Victoria Montgomery is a human-centered professional with experience across mission-focused sectors, with a passion for helping individuals and teams realize their full potential through developing a healthy relationship with their power and owning who they are becoming. Victoria has worked in talent acquisition and as a people manager to serve business leaders and functions, as well as individuals in the social impact space, honing her EQ skills. Her approach is heavily influenced by her love and commitment to psychology and the challenge of personal growth within teams, individuals, and their interplay. Connect with Victoria Montgomery LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-montgomery2525/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toriataughtme/ Company IG: https://www.instagram.com/voicenervemotion/# X: https://x.com/montyybynature Season 2 reflection exercises https://www.learnmindfully.co/store Grab Consciously Crafting Your Career Path: https://www.learnmindfully.co/store Connect with Roberta on LinkedIn  If this episode sparked new insight, please consider rating, following, or reviewing the show. It’s the best way to help more people find and benefit from these vital conversations. Thanks for listening!

    39 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

In Her Words is a podcast for women navigating life’s turning points—with clarity, heart, and a little bit of mess. Hosted by Roberta Dombrowski, each episode features honest reflections and grounded conversations about career shifts, motherhood, identity, and ambition. Whether you're stepping into a new role at work, preparing for a baby, or just figuring out what’s next, this show offers a place to feel seen, supported, and inspired. You don’t need to have it all figured out to begin—just start here.

Information

  • Creator
    Roberta Dombrowski
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    33
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 In Her Words
  • Show Website
    In Her Words

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