Women I Want You to Know by Andrea L. Johnston™

Andrea L. Johnston
  • 5.0 (2)
  • CAREERS

There are extraordinary women shaping our world every day - founders, executives, advocates and community builders who are defining success on their own terms. Women I Want You to Know by Andrea L. Johnston™ are real conversations about what it took to get here and the tradeoffs, risks and revelations behind their success. Candid, insightful and inspiring, this podcast celebrates the women leading with purpose, building with grit and proving that impact is possible, and we are capable of more than we know.

Episodes

  1. The Ironwoman & Commercial Bank Leader Who Wants You to Unapologetically Invest in Yourself

    MAR 10

    The Ironwoman & Commercial Bank Leader Who Wants You to Unapologetically Invest in Yourself

    What does it really take to lead under pressure when visibility is high, expectations are unspoken and the margin for error feels razor thin? In this episode of Women I Want You to Know by Andrea L. Johnston™ Podcast, Andrea sits down with Katherine Andersen, Head of U.S. Life Science and Healthcare at HSBC Innovation Banking, to explore leadership resilience, self-trust and influence through the lens of a career shaped by endurance, discipline and long-term vision. From attending economics camp as a teenager to leading global innovation banking platforms, Katherine’s path reflects a steady commitment to growth rather than shortcuts. Her career spans some of the most demanding environments in commercial banking, life science and healthcare, industries where pressure is constant and leadership is often tested without a clear rulebook. Katherine shares how competing in Ironman triathlons shaped her leadership mindset and taught her to focus on response rather than control. She reflects on navigating male-dominated leadership roles while balancing ambition, motherhood and caregiving inside a two–working-parent household where responsibilities are shared, not assumed. Throughout the conversation, she offers a grounded perspective on what it means to lead without relying on performance as armor and to challenge outdated expectations that place invisible labor disproportionately on women. This episode speaks directly to women experiencing high visibility with low psychological safety, ambiguous power dynamics and the internal tension between ambition and humanity. Katherine unpacks why resilience is built one step at a time and why investing in yourself and your support systems is not indulgence but strategy. In this episode, listeners will hear: Why leadership visibility without safety creates chronic self-monitoring and stressHow endurance sports mirror strategic leadership under pressureThe difference between execution excellence and true strategic influenceWhy women often overperform when leadership rules and promotion criteria feel unclearHow two–working-parent households challenge traditional gender expectationsHow to navigate imposter syndrome even after proven successWhat servant leadership looks like inside high-stakes corporate environmentsWhy investing in yourself strengthens leadership at work and at homeHow to show up for others through grief without needing the perfect wordsKatherine also shares deeply personal reflections on loss, caregiving and community, including how collective empathy within the life science ecosystem reshaped her understanding of leadership, partnership and purpose. This episode is a powerful reminder that leadership is not about controlling outcomes. It is about response, self-trust and choosing to move forward with clarity, compassion and intention even when certainty is unavailable. Links and Resources: Connect with Katherine Andersen on LinkedIn Learn more about Fuel for Female Founders Read Katherine’s WIWYTK feature on LinkedIn

    36 min
  2. How Women Leaders Communicate Through Chaos: Power, Identity and Leadership in Uncertain Times

    FEB 24

    How Women Leaders Communicate Through Chaos: Power, Identity and Leadership in Uncertain Times

    What does it take to leave a high performing corporate path and build something of your own without losing your voice, your confidence or your center? In this episode of Women I Want You to Know by Andrea L. Johnston™ Podcast, Andrea sits down with Abenaa Hayes, founder of Elysee Consulting, and a communications and brand marketing leader with more than 20 years of experience across healthcare, biotech, social impact and inclusion. Abenaa shares how her global upbringing shaped her, why representation matters for women leaders and how she made the leadership transition from agency executive to entrepreneur. This conversation speaks directly to women navigating unclear rules and power dynamics and the pressure to use performance as protection. Abenaa offers a grounded look at what it means to build self trust while operating at pace, manage decision making when the stakes are high and lead and communicate through chaos without reacting from fear. In this episode, listeners will hear: What Abenaa had to unlearn when transitioning from manager to leader and then to founderWhy perfectionism in leadership keeps high achievers stuck in execution instead of strategic leadershipHow women can gain influence at work by building community and creating space for conversationWhy the power of the pause creates clarity in chaotic leadership cyclesHow AI tools support communicators while human judgment stays essentialWhat fractional leadership makes possible for modern companies and women entrepreneursWhy networking still drives career growth for women leaders and female foundersAbenaa also shares her favorite Brooklyn and New York City recommendations plus a practical reminder for women leaders and founders: build a squad, stay visible and do not try to navigate leadership loneliness alone. Links and Resources: Elysee Consulting: https://www.elyseeconsulting.co/ Fuel for Female Founders: https://www.fuelforfemalefounders.com/

    38 min
  3. The Exit Gap and Exit Readiness: How Women Founders Build Sellable Businesses

    FEB 10

    The Exit Gap and Exit Readiness: How Women Founders Build Sellable Businesses

    What does it take to build a business that is not only sustainable but sellable and why do so many women founders still exit for less? In this episode of Women I Want You to Know by Andrea L. Johnston™ Podcast, Andrea sits down with Carrie Kerpen, CEO of The Whisper Group and former founder of Likeable Media, to explore exit readiness, founder strategy and the real mechanics behind wealth creation for women business owners. Carrie shares how Likeable Media scaled during the early social media boom and why the company’s real transformation began in 2013 when social media stopped being “new.” That shift forced a different kind of leadership, one rooted in profitability, operational discipline and building an asset that could be sold. This conversation speaks directly to women founders experiencing decision fatigue, founder isolation and the pressure of performance as protection. Kerpen’s perspective reframes growth as a long game, especially for women seeking autonomy, sustainable business growth and a path from operator to CEO. In this episode, listeners will learn: Why being “sellable” matters even when selling is not the goalHow to shift from growth at all costs to consistent growth with strong marginsWhat buyers evaluate in services businesses, including client diversification, founder independence and profitabilityHow The Whisper Group supports women through exit readiness advisory, peer matching and brokerage servicesWhy representation matters beyond celebrity exits and why “lifestyle” and everyday businesses can be exit worthyHow women can build self trust alongside external success and make decisions without perfect certaintyWhy networking remains a career advantage in corporate leadership and entrepreneurship and why it is even more valuable in an AI driven economyThis episode is for women l founders building for the future. It is a practical and motivating conversation about exit readiness, women entrepreneurship, CEO mindset for women and how women can create wealth without sacrificing their wholeness. Listen now to hear how women founders can build businesses that serve their lives today and expand their options for tomorrow. Links and Resources Learn more about Carrie Kerpen and The Whisper GroupListen to Carrie’s podcast, The Exit WhispererConnect with Carrie Kerpen on LinkedInRead Carrie's WIWYTK feature on LinkedIn

    34 min
  4. Hard Calls & Tradeoffs for Women Leading in Tech

    JAN 27

    Hard Calls & Tradeoffs for Women Leading in Tech

    What does leadership really look like when decisions are difficult and tradeoffs are unavoidable? In this episode of Women I Want You to Know by Andrea L. Johnston™ Podcast, Andrea Johnston sits down with Trisha Price, Chief Product Officer, for an honest conversation about leadership, career seasons and the complex choices women face while leading in tech. Trisha Price is a widely respected product leader, boy mom and podcast host who has built her career navigating male-dominated environments without allowing that reality to define or limit her. From large enterprise organizations to high-growth startups, her professional journey reflects the power of intentional decision-making related to leadership, risk-taking and honoring different seasons of life. In this episode, Trisha Price shares the following insights: How she navigated her path into the C-suite in a male-dominated industryWhy career decisions often depend on seasons of life rather than linear progressionThe reality of tradeoffs for working mothers and why guilt often impacts women more than their childrenWhy women should pursue leadership roles before feeling fully “ready”What it truly means to make hard calls as a leader, particularly when people are involvedHow to think through tradeoffs in product strategy, growth and technology decisionsHow to remain connected, visible and relevant while working remotelyWhy community, movement and authentic relationships matter more than everThe personal experiences that have shaped her leadership approachThis episode offers a conversation about leadership as well as honesty, responsibility and what it means to make thoughtful choices over time. Listen now and learn why the hardest calls often define the strongest leaders. Links & Resources: Listen to Hard Calls podcast hosted by Trisha Price Connect with Trisha Price on LinkedIn

    28 min
  5. Women Leading the Future of Cancer Research

    JAN 13

    Women Leading the Future of Cancer Research

    What does it really take to move cancer research forward and who makes those breakthroughs possible? In this episode of Women I Want You to Know by Andrea L. Johnston™ Podcast, Andrea sits down with Yung Lie, PhD, President and CEO of the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, to explore the people, funding, and courage behind some of the most important advances in cancer treatment today. Yung’s path to leading one of the most respected cancer research foundations in the world began outdoors in the Midwest, driven by curiosity, science, and a deep love of discovery. Her career reflects what happens when women are given the freedom to follow bold ideas. But this conversation goes far beyond a career timeline. In this episode Yung shares: Why young scientists are essential to the future of cancer breakthroughs and why they’re at risk of being lostHow Damon Runyon-funded researchers helped pioneer chemotherapy, targeted therapies, and immunotherapyWhat most people don’t understand about cancer as a disease and why “one cancer” doesn’t existHow funding gaps and proposed NIH cuts could derail decades of progressThe growing role of AI, data science, and machine learning in accelerating diagnosis and treatmentWhy community is where scientific breakthroughs are bornYung also opens up about her most personal chapter: caring for her husband through an aggressive, rare cancer diagnosis and how that experience reshaped her leadership, urgency, and commitment to patients and families navigating impossible choices. This is a conversation about science, but also about humanity, courage, advocacy, and what it truly means to invest in the future. Listen now and learn why the breakthroughs of tomorrow depend on the decisions we make today. Links & Resources:  Learn more about the Damon Runyon Cancer Research FoundationSupport the Timmerman Traverse benefiting Damon RunyonListen to Yung Lie on The Long Run podcast with Luke TimmermanConnect with Yung Lie, Ph.D.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yunglie https://www.linkedin.com/company/damonrunyon https://www.instagram.com/damon_runyon/# https://www.youtube.com/user/DamonRunyonFnd/videos Yung S. Lie, PhD, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, a non-profit organisation that provides today’s best young scientists with funding to pursue innovative cancer research. She joined the Foundation in 2008 as Scientific Director, was promoted to Deputy Director and Chief Scientific Officer in 2014, and began her current role in December 2018. Her goals are to foster new generations of scientists, enabling them to explore novel ideas and take risks, and to fill the gaps in traditional research funding that threaten future breakthroughs. Yung received her BA in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of California at Berkeley and earned her PhD in Biological Sciences from Stanford University. Following graduate school, she worked as a bioinformatics consultant at Celera/Applied Biosystems, contributing to the Human Genome Project. She completed postdoctoral research in neuroscience as a Damon Runyon Fellow at the University of California at San Francisco and at The Rockefeller University.

    36 min

  6. 12/15/2025

    Coming Soon... The Women I Want You to Know

    There are extraordinary women shaping our world every day - founders, executives, advocates and community builders who are defining success on their own terms. Women I Want You to Know by Andrea L. Johnston™ are real conversations about what it took to get here and the tradeoffs, risks and revelations behind their success. Candid, insightful and inspiring, this podcast celebrates the women leading with purpose, building with grit and proving that impact is possible, and we are capable of more than we know.

    5 min
  • 6 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

There are extraordinary women shaping our world every day - founders, executives, advocates and community builders who are defining success on their own terms. Women I Want You to Know by Andrea L. Johnston™ are real conversations about what it took to get here and the tradeoffs, risks and revelations behind their success. Candid, insightful and inspiring, this podcast celebrates the women leading with purpose, building with grit and proving that impact is possible, and we are capable of more than we know.

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