Not All Business

Blakely Graham + Heather Cooper
  • 4.9 (27)
  • Business
  • Updated Weekly

Because at work, it's not all business. We're Heather Cooper & Blakely Graham, two rival tech CEOs turned friends, hosting real conversations about the messy reality of leadership. Think of us as Sex Ed for Leadership—discussing the topics and answering all the questions professionals are too afraid to ask, with occasional reality checks from our brilliant producer, Clay. Join us for serious insights. Slightly less serious hosts. New episodes every week!

  1. 6d ago

    Sticky Situations: The Unwritten Rules for Women at Work

    There isn't an employee handbook for the awkward parts of work. What do you do when your boss hugs you every morning and you hate being hugged? What's the right move if your boss asks you to lie about something? And what does "business casual" even mean anymore? How can you fashion-judo a dress code to empower you at work? This week, we're pulling together some of Heather and Blakely's best answers to the workplace questions you've sent in over the past year. They're all from past Sticky Situation episodes, and put together, they add up to something bigger: the unwritten rules nobody hands you when you start a job. Boundaries. Integrity. How you're perceived versus who you actually are. The embarrassing moments that feel career-ending in the moment and forgettable a month later. And why some of the hardest career decisions have no perfect answer. Stick around to the end for a rapid-fire round of hot takes on office etiquette, social media, "mandatory fun," and the small workplace dilemmas that somehow become surprisingly complicated. Key Takeaways: How to set a boundary with a physically affectionate boss without damaging the relationship Why keeping your startup private while working another job may be the smartest move How to think about "business casual" when the rules seem to change depending on who's judging Why you should never lie on someone else's behalf — even if they're your boss A simple way to recover after an embarrassing moment at work Whether you should connect with your boss on social media Why "mandatory fun" isn't always as fun as it sounds The surprising rule for deciding whether to tell someone they have food in their teeth Please consider sharing this episode & subscribing to the show for more of the questions women want answered but rarely ask out loud. Follow Our Hosts: Blakely: https://www.instagram.com/blakelygraham Heather: https://www.instagram.com/heathercooper.nab Clay: https://www.instagram.com/claycarnill Follow Not All Business: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notallbiz LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/notallbusiness Substack: https://notallbusiness.substack.com Submit Your Sticky Situations & Workplace Dilemmas: Got a sticky situation for Not All Business? Send a voice recording to sticky@notallbusiness.com or drop your question in the comments. Thank You to Our Sponsors: Face Five Acne Clinic, Root-Cause Acne Care, No Harsh Prescriptions Required: https://facefiveacne.com - code NOTALLBIZ10 for 10% off your first order Follow Face Five Skincare: https://www.instagram.com/facefiveskincare/ Follow Wellness with Yuki: https://www.instagram.com/wellnesswithyuki/  Not All Business is Sex Ed for Your Career — the honest questions women want answered but rarely ask out loud. Hosted by Heather Cooper and Blakely Graham, alongside producer and co-host Clay Carnill, new episodes drop every Thursday covering the real stuff: workplace drama, salary negotiation, imposter syndrome, and the sticky situations nobody has a script for. Subscribe so you never miss the next conversation.

  2. Aug 6

    She Was a Pro Tennis Player. She Never Mentioned It at Work.

    Louise Allen spent over a decade in her career without telling a single coworker she'd played professional tennis. Eleven years on tour. Every Grand Slam. Ranked as high as No. 70 in the world. She kept it quiet because she was afraid of one label: the aggressive female athlete. This week on Not All Business, Louise — now Chief Product Officer at Planview — joins Blakely and Heather to talk about why authenticity still feels risky at work, the double bind women face between being likable and being taken seriously, and the moment with a former boss she still thinks about decades later. Key Takeaways: Why Hiding Parts of Yourself at Work Costs More Than It Protects The Seating Trick That Gets You Noticed in Any Meeting How to Tell If Feedback Is About Your Work or Just Your Personality What to Say When Someone Asks a Question They Have No Right to Ask Why Finding Your Voice Is a Skill You Can Practice, Not a Trait You're Born With Please consider sharing this episode & subscribing to the show for more unfiltered conversations about leadership, growth, and the messy human side of business. Follow Louise: Louise on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-k-allen-5703861/  Louise's writing on Inc. Magazine: https://www.inc.com/author/louise-allen Planview: https://www.planview.com/company/leadership/ Links & Mentions: EY Women Athletes Business Network study on female executives and sports (via CNBC): https://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/11/want-to-be-a-ceo-later-play-sports-now.html Submit Your Sticky Situations: Got a sticky situation for Not All Business? Send a voice recording to podcast@notallbusiness.com or drop your question in the comments. Thank You to Our Sponsors: Face Five Acne Clinic, Root-Cause Acne Care, No Harsh Prescriptions Required: https://facefiveacne.com - code NOTALLBIZ10 for 10% off your first order Follow Face Five Skincare: https://www.instagram.com/facefiveskincare/ Follow Wellness with Yuki: https://www.instagram.com/wellnesswithyuki/  Not All Business is Sex Ed for Your Career — the honest questions women want answered but rarely ask out loud. Hosted by Heather Cooper and Blakely Graham, alongside producer and co-host Clay Carnill, new episodes drop every Thursday covering the real stuff: workplace drama, salary negotiation, imposter syndrome, and the sticky situations nobody has a script for. Subscribe so you never miss the next one.

  3. Jul 30

    Is Wine Actually Heart Healthy? A Cardiologist Weighs In

    Dr. Molly Ware is a cardiologist at Boulder Heart, and she's used to being one of very few women in the room. Nineteen years ago, she was the first woman in her practice group, and when she asked to work part time after having her first child, no one had ever made that request before. This week she tells us what that negotiation taught her, and why the data suggests female doctors may actually get better patient outcomes. Then we turn it into a virtual exam room. Molly takes rapid fire questions on the health topics we all wonder about and rarely ask out loud: whether wine is actually heart healthy, whether energy drinks deserve their bad reputation, why most people should be getting a lot more exercise than they think, and the genetic cholesterol test almost nobody has heard of but everyone should ask their doctor about. Key Takeaways: Why the data suggests female physicians may get better patient outcomes, and what listening has to do with it What changed when Molly became the first woman in her practice to ask for part-time hours How to actually tell the difference between indigestion and a heart symptom worth taking seriously Whether wine is heart healthy, or whether we just wanted that to be true The genetic cholesterol test almost no one gets tested for, and why your family should know their numbers too Why "exercise is the best medicine" isn't just a saying, according to a cardiologist Please consider sharing this episode and subscribing to the show for more unfiltered conversations about career, health, and the messy human side of both. Follow Dr. Ware: Dr. Ware on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-ware-32353734/  Boulder Heart (Boulder Community Health): https://www.bch.org/our-services/cardiology/ Links & Mentions: OpenEvidence (AI medical search tool Molly referenced): https://www.openevidence.com/ Submit Your Sticky Situations & Workplace Dilemmas: Got a sticky situation for Not All Business? Send a voice recording to podcast@notallbusiness.com or drop your question in the comments. Thank You to Our Sponsors: Face Five Acne Clinic, Root-Cause Acne Care, No Harsh Prescriptions Required: https://facefiveacne.com - code NOTALLBIZ10 for 10% off your first order Follow Face Five Skincare: https://www.instagram.com/facefiveskincare/ Follow Wellness with Yuki: https://www.instagram.com/wellnesswithyuki/  Not All Business is Sex Ed for Your Career — the honest questions women want answered but rarely ask out loud. Hosted by Heather Cooper and Blakely Graham, alongside producer and co-host Clay Carnill, new episodes drop every Thursday covering the real stuff: workplace drama, salary negotiation, imposter syndrome, and the sticky situations nobody has a script for. Subscribe so you never miss the next one.

  4. Jul 23

    You Don’t Have to Do It All (A VC Partner’s Unpopular Opinion)

    Kathryn O'Day, Partner at Atlanta Ventures, spent five years building a personal brand in an industry that didn't expect her to. This week she tells us how she found a lane nobody else in venture capital was standing in, why she still doesn't love the spotlight, and what changed when she stopped trying to be everywhere. The conversation moves into the harder stuff too: the guilt that comes with being a working mom, the "default parent" dynamic in her own marriage, and a language lesson about guilt that reframed the whole conversation. Plus, an in-person recording in a 100-degree studio, a basement that recently hosted a hundred-person punk show, and skincare secrets courtesy of a wedding in Austin. Key Takeaways: How Kathryn found the one lane in venture capital nobody else was filling, and built a personal brand around it Why "I just started" beats a perfect content strategy The default parent dynamic, and how to actually talk about it before resentment builds A trick for resetting the division of labor at home once a year, and what it revealed The reason a language lesson about guilt changed how we think about mom guilt How to know your partner is overwhelmed, and what to do about it before you both are Please consider sharing this episode and subscribing to the show for more unfiltered conversations about career, motherhood, and the messy human side of both. Follow Kathryn: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathrynoday/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathrynoday/  Substack: https://kathrynoday.substack.com/  Links & Mentions: Jake Suchkowski (Heather's son, music producer and snowboarder): @the_board_man_ Elden Graham (Blakely's son): @e_geaham Anthrapology (Elden's band): @anthrapologyband Face Five Skincare: https://www.instagram.com/facefiveskincare/ or https://www.tiktok.com/@facefiveskincare  Face Five Skincare Glow Getter masks: https://facefiveskincare.com/product/glow-getter/  Wellness with Yuki: https://www.instagram.com/wellnesswithyuki/  Clay's skincare routine: Casual Friday 06.26.26 Submit Your Sticky Situations & Workplace Dilemmas: Got a sticky situation for Not All Business? Send a voice recording to podcast@notallbusiness.com or drop your question in the comments. Thank You to Our Sponsors: We’re on Substack! Join us at Not All Business on Substack for full episodes, Unfiltered After Shows, and everything else we're building. https://notallbusiness.substack.com/  Not All Business is Sex Ed for Your Career — the honest questions women want answered but rarely ask out loud. Hosted by Heather Cooper and Blakely Graham, alongside producer and co-host Clay Carnill, new episodes drop every Thursday covering the real stuff: workplace drama, salary negotiation, imposter syndrome, and the sticky situations nobody has a script for. Subscribe so you never miss the next one.

  5. Jul 16

    We Took a Communication Test Together — The Results Exposed Everything

    Most of us think our meetings fail because of bad ideas. They usually fail because of bad communication, and most people never learn the difference. This week on Not All Business, communication expert Brittany Hart returns to break down the four communication temperaments (fire, wind, earth, and water) and reveal exactly how Blakely, Heather, and Clay show up in every meeting, every text, every disagreement. Brittany walks through a five-move framework for running a meeting that brings every temperament along, plus how to actually compliment someone in a way that lands for who they are. Key Takeaways: The Five-Move Framework For Running a Meeting Everyone Actually Engages In What Fire, Wind, Earth, and Water Reveal About How You Process and Decide Why "Sense of Control" Might Actually Mean Something Else Entirely How to Compliment Each Communication Style So It Actually Lands Please consider sharing this episode & subscribing to the show for more unfiltered conversations about leadership, growth, and the messy human side of business. Follow Brittany: Brittany on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/communiscape  Brittany's personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrsbrithart/  Communiscape: https://www.communiscape.com/  Links & Mentions: "I Said This, You Heard That" communication assessment by Kathleen Edelman: https://assessment.isaidyouheard.com/  Submit Your Sticky Situations & Workplace Dilemmas: Got a sticky situation for Not All Business? Send a voice recording to podcast@notall.biz or drop your question in the comments. Thank You to Our Sponsors: We’re on Substack! Join us at Not All Business on Substack for full episodes, Unfiltered After Shows, and everything else we're building. https://notallbusiness.substack.com/  Keep exploring the stories that power Not All Business. Every episode opens the door to fresh insights on what it really means to be a Female Executive or Female CEO, navigating the highs, lows, and unexpected turns of leadership. From real-world workplace dilemmas to candid conversations about breaking barriers, this podcast gives you the tools, inspiration, and perspective to thrive in your own career. So don’t stop here, dive into more episodes, learn from other women in business, and stay connected to the conversations shaping the future of work. Your next breakthrough might be just one episode away. Subscribe for more unfiltered conversations about the messy reality of leadership, professional growth strategies, and the real talk about work with new episodes every week. #career advice for women, #workplace mental health, #women in business, #working moms, #workplace drama, #toxic workplace, #women at work, #Female CEOs, #Female Executive, #Female Executive Podcast, #Women in Business, #Women in Business Podcast, #Women Entrepreneurs, #Business Podcast, #Real Talk about Work, #Workplace Dilemmas, #Heather Cooper, #Blakely Graham, #Sticky Situations,  #Communication, #Team Communication, #Leadership, #Meetings, #Brittany Hart

  6. Jul 9

    Dying At Your Desk? Why Comfort Is More Dangerous Than Failure

    Most of us know the feeling: hitting snooze, going through the motions, wondering if this is really it. This week on Not All Business, transformational coach Jayne Robinson joins from Australia, the show's first guest calling in from outside North America, to talk about the difference between your real inner voice and the fear-driven noise that tries to pass for it. Jayne knows the cost of staying comfortable firsthand. After walking away from a teaching career, she spent the last decade helping leaders, founders, and people at life's turning points break free from the patterns keeping them stuck, including her own move to Bali, then Costa Rica, where she finished writing her first book with a viper curled up a few feet from her bed. Her second book, The Freedom Experiment, is about getting out of what she calls the cage of comfort: a life that looks good on paper and quietly costs you your potential. Key Takeaways: How to Tell Your Real Voice From the Fear Talking The Cage of Comfort, and Why It Costs More Than It Look The Manifestation Story Behind a Times Square Billboard Small Moves to Make When You're Not Ready to Blow Up Your Life Please consider sharing this episode & subscribing to the show for more unfiltered conversations about leadership, growth, and the messy human side of business. Follow Jayne: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaynerobinsoncoach/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaynerobinsoncoach/  Jayne’s latest book, The Freedom Experiment: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-freedom-experiment-how-i-white-knuckled-fear-to-find-myself-jayne-robinson/75779559c176ceb2?ean=9798765203248&next=t Jayne’s book, That Impact Book: https://impactbook-order.my.canva.site/  Referenced on the show, sourced from LeanIn.Org & McKinsey's annual Women in the Workplace report: https://www.instagram.com/p/DZz4dHfkcl4/ ● Referenced on the show, the AI resume screening stat Heather brings up in the cold open, male associated names favored 52% of the time versus 11% for female associated names: https://www.instagram.com/p/DaDLtiMkShw/ ● Original source for that stat, a University of Washington study on AI bias in resume screening by race and gender: https://www.washington.edu/news/2024/10/31/ai-bias-resume-screening-race-gender/ Links & Mentions: LeanIn.Org & McKinsey's annual Women in the Workplace report: https://leanin.org/report/women-in-the-workplace/  University of Washington study on AI bias in resume screening by race and gender: https://www.washington.edu/news/2024/10/31/ai-bias-resume-screening-race-gender/ Keep exploring the stories that power Not All Business. Every episode opens the door to fresh insights on what it really means to be a Female Executive or Female CEO, navigating the highs, lows, and unexpected turns of leadership. From real-world workplace dilemmas to candid conversations about breaking barriers, this podcast gives you the tools, inspiration, and perspective to thrive in your own career. So don’t stop here, dive into more episodes, learn from other women in business, and stay connected to the conversations shaping the future of work. Your next breakthrough might be just one episode away. Subscribe for more unfiltered conversations about the messy reality of leadership, professional growth strategies, and the real talk about work with new episodes every week. #career advice for women, #workplace mental health, #women in business, #working moms, #workplace drama, #toxic workplace, #women at work, #Female CEOs, #Female Executive, #Female Executive Podcast, #Women in Business, #Women in Business Podcast, #Women Entrepreneurs, #Business Podcast, #Real Talk about Work, #Workplace Dilemmas, #Heather Cooper, #Blakely Graham, #Sticky Situations,  #careeradvice #womenatwork #goldenhandcuffs #careerchange #workplaceculture #burnoutrecovery #corporatelife #selfdiscovery #findingpurpose #careercoach #podcastforwomen #notallbusiness

  7. Jul 2

    The Hardest Job She's Ever Had Isn't On Her Resume

    What if all those years you spent at home — the ones that don't fit neatly on a LinkedIn profile — were actually building the best resume in the room? Heidi Calmus knows. Before she joined forces with her husband Taylor on the nationally recognized YouTube channel Dude Dad, she spent years managing outreach and emergency intake for homeless and trafficked youth. She ran an entire family operation across multiple kids, multiple schedules, and multiple life crises. And then she had to figure out how to stop doing all of it herself. In this episode, Heidi gets real about the isolation that comes with modern motherhood, the impossible expectations women carry, and the moment a multi-million dollar CEO friend told her: "I don't do any of this." We talk about what it means to finally outsource, the skills stay-at-home moms are quietly building that would make any executive jealous, and what happens when you stop wearing the burnout as a badge of honor. Also in this one: Heather makes a strong case for moving Mother's Day to literally any other month, Heidi pulls a tick out of her daughter's head on the side of a Wyoming highway while traveling solo with four kids, and we learn that wake surfing in a mountain lake in May is basically arctic. Good stuff. All of it. Key Takeaways: Why modern motherhood is harder than it was even 10-15 years ago The "decision freeze" that happens when you have access to too many parenting opinions and not enough permission to just choose What the "hidden years" are actually building When outsourcing isn't giving up What crisis management looks like when you're the only adult in the car Follow Heidi: Heidi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidicalmus/  Heidi on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084691694169  Links & Mentions: Dude Dad on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dudedad Dude Dad on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dudedad/  Ten Thousand Waves Spa, Santa Fe: https://tenthousandwaves.com/  Submit Your Sticky Situations & Workplace Dilemmas: Got a sticky situation for Not All Business? Send a voice recording to podcast@notall.biz or drop your question in the comments. Thank You to Our Sponsors: Arcadia Leadership Experience — Three days on a Montana ranch outside Bozeman for senior GTM leaders. July 27–30. Application only. https://www.ArcadiaLeadershipExperience.com Keep exploring the stories that power Not All Business. Every episode opens the door to fresh insights on what it really means to be a Female Executive or Female CEO, navigating the highs, lows, and unexpected turns of leadership. From real-world workplace dilemmas to candid conversations about breaking barriers, this podcast gives you the tools, inspiration, and perspective to thrive in your own career. So don’t stop here, dive into more episodes, learn from other women in business, and stay connected to the conversations shaping the future of work. Your next breakthrough might be just one episode away. Subscribe for more unfiltered conversations about the messy reality of leadership, professional growth strategies, and the real talk about work with new episodes every week.

  8. Jun 25

    She's Teaching Women to Buy Houses Alone — And It's Working

    Women have been legally allowed to get a mortgage for just about 50 years — and the gap that was created is still closing. This week on Not All Business, we sat down with Lane McLeod, founder of West Lane Lending, a mortgage brokerage built around one very clear mission: helping women build wealth through homeownership. Lane has watched the data play out in real time — single men buying homes in their 30s without a second thought, while the majority of single women who come through her door are in their 50s, often after a divorce, sitting on decades of missed equity. Lane's own path wasn't a straight line. She left a dream job in the fashion industry, lived through a hard season during COVID, and started a mortgage company from scratch in an industry she barely knew. Five years later she's hosting invite-only Pilates classes for women where the real agenda is financial education — and the results are speaking for themselves. Key Takeaways: The equity gap no one's talking about: why women's homeownership timelines are running decades behind men's Why Lane doesn't lead with credit score — and what she actually wants you to do first The mortgage math most women were never taught (including why your mortgage can cost less than rent) What "hot girls build equity" actually means — and why it's about more than money How Lane went from the fashion industry to building a mortgage brokerage on Pilates and purpose The one mindset shift that changes how you think about property, debt, and your future self Please consider sharing this episode & subscribing to the show for more unfiltered conversations about leadership, growth, and the messy human side of business. Follow Lane: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/westlanelending/  West Lane Lending: https://westlanelending.com/ Property Pilates Club invite list: https://www.propertypilatesclub.com/ [DM Lane on Instagram] Email: lane@westlanelending.com Links & Mentions: Equal Credit Opportunity Act (1974): https://www.justice.gov/crt/equal-credit-opportunity-act-3  Huron skincare (Clay's new routine): https://usehuron.com/  Submit Your Sticky Situations & Workplace Dilemmas: Got a sticky situation for Not All Business? Send a voice recording to podcast@notall.biz or drop your question in the comments. Thank You to Our Sponsors: Arcadia Leadership Experience — Three days on a Montana ranch outside Bozeman for senior GTM leaders. July 27–30. Application only. https://www.ArcadiaLeadershipExperience.com Keep exploring the stories that power Not All Business. Every episode opens the door to fresh insights on what it really means to be a Female Executive or Female CEO, navigating the highs, lows, and unexpected turns of leadership. From real-world workplace dilemmas to candid conversations about breaking barriers, this podcast gives you the tools, inspiration, and perspective to thrive in your own career. So don’t stop here, dive into more episodes, learn from other women in business, and stay connected to the conversations shaping the future of work. Your next breakthrough might be just one episode away. Subscribe for more unfiltered conversations about the messy reality of leadership, professional growth strategies, and the real talk about work with new episodes every week. #Female CEOs, #Female CEO Podcast, #Female Executive, #Female Executive Podcast, #Women in Business, #Women in Business Podcast, #Women Entrepreneurs, #Business Podcast, #Real Talk about Work, #Workplace Dilemmas, #Heather Cooper, #Blakely Graham, #Sticky Situations,  #WomenInLeadership, #ImposterSyndrome, #CareerGrowth, #LaneMcLeod

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4.9
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About

Because at work, it's not all business. We're Heather Cooper & Blakely Graham, two rival tech CEOs turned friends, hosting real conversations about the messy reality of leadership. Think of us as Sex Ed for Leadership—discussing the topics and answering all the questions professionals are too afraid to ask, with occasional reality checks from our brilliant producer, Clay. Join us for serious insights. Slightly less serious hosts. New episodes every week!

Information

  • Creator
    Blakely Graham + Heather Cooper
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    51
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Blakely Graham + Heather Cooper
  • Show Website
    Not All Business

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