In Her Words

Roberta Dombrowski
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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. Sep 21

    Ep 36 | You were never just your job: a conversation about reclaiming identity beyond work

    Send us Fan Mail What happens when you can no longer tell your identity and your work apart? In this episode of In Her Words, Roberta Dombrowski (Founder of Learn Mindfully) sits down with career strategist Amy Santee for an honest conversation about identity, burnout, and the systems that quietly push us to tie our worth to our output. Amy is a career strategist for experienced professionals asking what comes next when their work no longer fits who they are. She's an anthropologist by training and opened her own practice in 2020 after a career in user experience. In this episode, we talk about: Why so many high-achievers build their entire identity around their careerThe myth of meritocracy, and how it turns systemic failure into personal shameWhat a layoff actually takes from you — beyond the paycheckHow to start building a sense of self that doesn't collapse when your job title changesPractical tools for navigating a career transition without losing yourself in the processWork with Roberta and Amy Connect with Roberta if you’d like to book a spark session.Learn more about Amy and her career strategy offerings (mention you attended the event for 20% off a Strategy Session)Additional resources Working Identity by Herminia IbarraLeadership, Rewritten Substack by Richard ClaytonFawning by Dr. Ingrid ClaytonThe Work by Byron KatieThe Nap MinistryAre you mad at me by Meg JosephsonThe Hyphenated Life: Bridging the In-Between Spaces of Intersectional Identities by Han RenNever Search AloneHolland Code TestONet Career Explorer Connect with Roberta on LinkedIn  Grab Consciously Crafting Your Career Path: https://www.learnmindfully.co/store 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!

    Ep 36 | You were never just your job: a conversation about reclaiming identity beyond work

  2. Aug 4

    Ep 35 | Why the logical next step feels like a trap

    Send us Fan Mail If you've ever taken the "smart" next step in your career — the promotion, the raise, the role everyone congratulated you for — and still felt like something was wrong, this episode is for you. I'm joined by Nyam Adodoadji, a somatic practitioner, poet, and guide for creative leaders navigating career transition, to unpack why the most logical next step often isn't the right one — and how to tell the difference. Nyam spent years in product management at a Silicon Valley startup before burnout (crying in bathrooms, working brutal hours) pushed her toward a year-long sabbatical across Ghana, Colombia, Mexico, Spain, and Portugal. She didn't come back with the clarity she was looking for. She came back with better questions — and a new career helping other people ask them. In this conversation, we talk about: Why the career ladder narrative (college, job, climb the rungs) was never actually a choice for most people, and how financial pressure keeps us from questioning itHow midlife and the pandemic forced a wave of career reevaluation, especially for women and femmes socialized to prioritize everyone else's expectations firstWhy your body signals misalignment (panic attacks, exhaustion, burnout) long before your mind is willing to admit something's wrongWhy career change doesn't have to mean quitting your job tomorrow — and what low-stakes experimentation actually looks likeWhether you're a mid-career tech leader feeling the pull toward something different, quietly burnt out but still high-performing, or just trying to figure out what you actually want instead of what you were conditioned to want — this episode will give you language for what you're feeling and a real place to start. ________________________________________ Connect with Nyam on LinkedIn or grab a copy of her career reflection guide Connect with Roberta on LinkedIn and grab a copy of her workbook Connect with Roberta on LinkedIn  Grab Consciously Crafting Your Career Path: https://www.learnmindfully.co/store 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!

    Ep 35 | Why the logical next step feels like a trap

  3. Jul 26

    Ep 34 | You were never meant to pick just one

    Send us Fan Mail This week on In Her Words, I sit down with Dr. Kimberly Murray — applied psychologist, leadership coach, TEDx speaker, and professional photographer — to talk about what it actually means to be multi-passionate. Not the polished version. The real one, with all the shame, the internal conflict, and the cost of spending years trying to fit yourself into one lane. Kimberly and I have both heard the same message our whole lives: pick a thing, get good at it, stop dabbling. From parents, from managers, from the systems that need us legible. In this conversation, we push back on that — and talk about what it looks like to build work and a life that can hold all of who you are. In This Episode Where the shame of picking one comes fromThe difference between being scattered and multipassionateWhat fitting into one lane actually costs youHow to honor all of yourself intentionallyWhat sustainability looks like when you have a lot on your plate_______________________ Follow Roberta on LinkedIn for more reflections around how to design work that honors who you are, not just what you can doDr. Kimberly Murray is an applied psychologist, leadership coach, TEDx speaker ("Becoming Who You Didn't Plan to Be"), and creative spirit who helps multi-dimensional leaders leverage their strengths and navigate competing expectations so they can build lives and careers that reflect the full range of who they are. As Founder and Principal of WellSynced, a boutique professional development firm, she draws on more than 20 years of experience spanning government, higher education, entrepreneurship, and a decade as a professional photographer to help people build success that is both meaningful and sustainable. You can connect with her on LinkedIn. Connect with Roberta on LinkedIn  Grab Consciously Crafting Your Career Path: https://www.learnmindfully.co/store 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!

    Ep 34 | You were never meant to pick just one

  4. Jun 18

    Ep 33 | You’ve been playing small and it wasn’t an accident

    Send us Fan Mail What if shrinking at work wasn't a confidence problem,but a design problem? In this episode of In Her Words, I'm joined by therapist, coach, and psychological safety consultant Megan Reese for an honest, energizing conversation about why so many high-achieving folks hold themselves back at work and why it's not their fault. We unpack the systemic forces that teach people to stay small: workplace cultures that reward compliance over authenticity, "executive presence" feedback that's really just code for conforming to cishet male norms, and the human giver syndrome that conditions us to put everyone else's needs first. We also talk about what it actually looks like to reclaim your space in your career, your leadership style, and your life. In this episode, we cover: Why playing small isn't a mindset issue, it's a systems issueThe problem with "executive presence" feedback (and what strong leadership actually looks like)How workplaces are designed to keep you compliant  and what to do about itImposter syndrome as signal, not stop sign and how to work with your inner criticPractical strategies for career transitions, job searching without burning out, and building toward your dream without abandoning your responsibilitiesHow to start your own business when you have family, debt, and real financial stakesThe importance of reclaiming joy, rest, and unstructured time, especially when capitalism wants you exhaustedWhether you're navigating a layoff, quietly dreaming of leaving your 9-to-5, or just tired of being told to speak up more, this conversation is for you. Resources Mentioned: Sign up for the summer event series Follow Roberta on LinkedIn Connect with Megan on LinkedIn Connect with Roberta on LinkedIn  Grab Consciously Crafting Your Career Path: https://www.learnmindfully.co/store 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!

  5. May 5

    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/  Connect with Roberta on LinkedIn  Grab Consciously Crafting Your Career Path: https://www.learnmindfully.co/store 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!

    Ep 32 | From Tech to Tranquility with Carol Rossi

  6. 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/  Connect with Roberta on LinkedIn  Grab Consciously Crafting Your Career Path: https://www.learnmindfully.co/store 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!

    Ep 31 | Embracing a Multipassionate Path with Elizabeth Burke

  7. 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 Connect with Roberta on LinkedIn  Grab Consciously Crafting Your Career Path: https://www.learnmindfully.co/store 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!

    Ep 30 | How Failure Builds Confidence with Aïcha Doucouré

  8. 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  Connect with Roberta on LinkedIn  Grab Consciously Crafting Your Career Path: https://www.learnmindfully.co/store 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!

    Ep 29 | Finding Stability in Entrepreneurship with Mary Brown
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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
    37
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 In Her Words
  • Show Website
    In Her Words

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