NO FILTER NO APOLOGIES

Katy Shapiro & Rebecca Sacks
  • 5.0 (4)
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 No Filter, No Apologies is a podcast for women who want honest conversations about work, leadership, and ambition without the corporate polish. We share real stories, hard truths, and practical guidance to help women move forward with clarity and confidence. 

  1. 22h ago

    Get Noticed for the Right Reasons: How to Build Career Visibility that Opens Doors

    Send us Fan Mail Doing great work matters. Making sure the right people understand the impact of that work matters too. In this episode of No Filter | No Apologies, we're talking about how to build career visibility in a way that feels strategic, authentic, and useful, without turning every accomplishment into a self-promotional announcement. We break down how to communicate your results in terms leaders actually care about, contribute meaningfully in meetings, build relationships beyond your immediate team, and develop a reputation that connects your name to the problems you can solve. We also get into sponsorship, cross-functional relationships, AI and changing workplace skills, and why your professional reputation needs to evolve as your capabilities grow.  Pasted text Most importantly, we're giving you a practical strategy for turning great work into greater visibility, influence, and opportunity. You'll leave this episode ready to answer four questions: What do I want to be known for? What evidence do I have? Who currently knows it? Who needs to know it for the career I'm trying to build? Then we'll show you how to close the gap with a 30-day Strategic Visibility Blueprint you can start using immediately.  Pasted text Because career visibility isn't about making sure everyone knows your name. It's about making sure the right people know what your name means.  CONNECT WITH NO FILTER, NO APOLOGIES:  Watch full videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NOFILTERNOAPOLOGIESPODCAST Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nfnapodcast/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NFNAPodcast Follow us on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nfna_podcast11 Follow Our Hosts on LinkedIn:  - Katy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katyshapiro/ - Rebecca: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-sacks-606a7951/ Enjoying our raw conversations? Please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts

  2. Oct 6

    Should You Stay or Go? How to Make a Career Move in a Tough Job Market

    Send us Fan Mail The job market feels harder right now, and for good reason. Hiring is more competitive, searches are taking longer, layoffs and restructuring continue to create uncertainty, and AI is changing how companies hire. But does that mean staying exactly where you are is automatically the safest career decision? In this episode of No Filter | No Apologies, Katy and Rebecca break down how to make that decision with strategy instead of fear. They unpack what current labor-market numbers can and cannot tell you, why your specific industry, level and geography matter more than a national headline, and how to evaluate the risks of staying alongside the risks of leaving.  You'll learn how to run a four-part Stay Test covering compensation, growth, environment and trajectory, research the actual market for the role you want, identify where your experience matches and where you may have gaps, and test your positioning before making a major move. Katy and Rebecca also share a practical seven-day reset for anyone who wants clarity without handing in a resignation tomorrow morning.   The goal isn't to convince you to leave. It's to make sure fear isn't the only information deciding whether you stay. In this episode:  How to tell the difference between strategically staying and staying out of fear  Why national job-market numbers don't tell you everything about your market  The four-part Stay Test  How to evaluate the risk of leaving and the risk of staying  How to research 10 to 15 real opportunities before applying  The difference between having a skill and being able to demonstrate it  How to run a focused market test instead of mass applying  What to do when the job you want requires experience you don't have yet  How to build career options before you urgently need them  A seven-day plan for deciding what to do next CONNECT WITH NO FILTER, NO APOLOGIES:  Watch full videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NOFILTERNOAPOLOGIESPODCAST Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nfnapodcast/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NFNAPodcast Follow us on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nfna_podcast11 Follow Our Hosts on LinkedIn:  - Katy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katyshapiro/ - Rebecca: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-sacks-606a7951/ Enjoying our raw conversations? Please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts

  3. Sep 29

    Thoughtload: Why Working Harder Isn't Fixing Work with Dr. Liane Davey

    Send us Fan Mail Why can two people have similar workloads while one is thriving and the other is completely depleted? And why can you spend an entire day answering emails, attending meetings and checking things off your list, only to realize the work that actually mattered never got done? Dr. Liane Davey calls the invisible weight underneath all of it Thoughtload. In this episode of No Filter | No Apologies, Katy and Rebecca sit down with Dr. Liane Davey, New York Times bestselling author, keynote speaker, executive advisor and “The Teamwork Doctor,” to unpack why working harder isn't necessarily making work work better. Liane explains Thoughtload as the combination of the cognitive demands competing for our attention and the emotional burdens we're carrying, relative to the energy we have available to handle them. She shows how that invisible load can affect performance even when the workload itself doesn't appear unreasonable. The conversation gets practical quickly. Liane challenges the traditional to-do list and shares her three-list approach for separating the work that drives your most important outcomes from contributions to other people's priorities and the inevitable “side quests” that keep life and work moving. She explains why rewarding instant responsiveness can actually reward distraction, why your best energy shouldn't be spent answering Slack messages, and why effective work requires focusing on outcomes rather than activity or output.   They also explore what sustainable ambition actually looks like. Liane introduces the idea of developing a strong Thoughtload metabolism: learning to extract what matters, discard what doesn't, process the narratives weighing you down and create enough space to actually think. Because being busy and moving fast aren't necessarily the same thing as creating meaningful results.   In this episode: What Thoughtload is and why your workload doesn't tell the whole storyCognitive demands, emotional burdens and energy reservesWhy one giant to-do list may be making prioritization harderLiane's three-list strategy for protecting your attentionWhy leaders shouldn't reward constant responsivenessActivity vs. output vs. outcomesWhy deliberate rest is part of peak performanceHow workplace communication norms increase ThoughtloadWhy highly ambitious people need a strong “Thoughtload metabolism”The importance of asking “What? So what? Now what?” before rushing into actionWhat managers should actually be discussing in one-on-onesHow to identify whether attention, emotion or energy is driving your overwhelmLiane's Thoughtload Audit, Overwhelm Assessment and Thoughtworld resourcesConnect with Liane Dr. Liane Davey is a New York Times bestselling author, keynote speaker and executive advisor known as “The Teamwork Doctor.” Her latest book is Thoughtload: Manage the Madness and Free Your Team to Do Great Work. Thoughtload, free assessments, tools & Thoughtworld: Thoughtload.com  CONNECT WITH NO FILTER, NO APOLOGIES:  Watch full videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NOFILTERNOAPOLOGIESPODCAST Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nfnapodcast/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NFNAPodcast Follow us on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nfna_podcast11 Follow Our Hosts on LinkedIn:  - Katy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katyshapiro/ - Rebecca: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-sacks-606a7951/ Enjoying our raw conversations? Please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts

  4. Sep 22

    The Attention Trap: Are You Productive or Just Always Available?

    Send us Fan Mail We have more technology than ever designed to make work easier. So why does it sometimes feel harder than ever to get one thing done without being interrupted? In this episode of No Filter | No Apologies™, Katy and Rebecca take an honest look at what constant connectivity is doing to the way we work, and how easily being responsive can start masquerading as being productive. From email and Teams notifications to smartphones, smartwatches, social media and the seemingly innocent "I'll just check this really quickly," our attention is being pulled in dozens of directions. But here's where the conversation gets interesting: our devices aren't always the ones interrupting us. Sometimes we've learned to interrupt ourselves.  Katy and Rebecca dig into research on workplace attention and task switching, including findings from UC Irvine professor Gloria Mark showing just how frequently we shift our attention and how long it can take to return to the work we were doing before an interruption. They also get candid about their own habits, from dozens of open browser tabs and checking email from bed to turning off Teams notifications and using "send later" to protect after-hours boundaries. The conversation explores how constant responsiveness can quietly take time away from the work that actually moves your career, business or priorities forward. Because answering everyone else's requests may make you incredibly busy while leaving your most important work untouched.  You'll also walk away with a simple Attention Audit you can use for one workday to identify what's actually interrupting you, whether those interruptions require an immediate response, and what they're costing you.  The goal isn't to throw away your phone or become digitally perfect. It's to become more intentional about who and what gets access to your attention. Your attention is an asset. Are you deciding where to invest it, or letting everyone else spend it for you? UC Irvine: Regaining Focus in a World of Digital Distractions · Microsoft Research: Notifications and Awareness · Microsoft Research: Blocking Workplace Distractions · Microsoft Research: Email Notification Urgency  CONNECT WITH NO FILTER, NO APOLOGIES:  Watch full videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NOFILTERNOAPOLOGIESPODCAST Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nfnapodcast/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NFNAPodcast Follow us on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nfna_podcast11 Follow Our Hosts on LinkedIn:  - Katy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katyshapiro/ - Rebecca: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-sacks-606a7951/ Enjoying our raw conversations? Please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts

  5. Sep 15

    Perimenopause & Menopause at Work: Navigating Your Career Without Losing Your Confidence

    Send us Fan Mail Perimenopause & Menopause at Work: Navigating Your Career Without Losing Your Confidence You spent decades building your experience, credibility, confidence, and career. Then suddenly you're forgetting someone's name, losing a word in the middle of a sentence, struggling to focus after a terrible night's sleep, or having a hot flash in the middle of a networking event. And you start wondering: Am I losing my edge? In this episode of No Filter | No Apologies™, Katy and Rebecca have an honest conversation about perimenopause and menopause at work, what these changes can actually look like during the height of a woman's career, and how women can navigate them without automatically questioning their professional capability. They dig into research on how menopause symptoms affect women at work, including concentration, sleep, confidence, mood and productivity, while also talking candidly about their own experiences with brain fog, forgetfulness, anxiety, hot flashes and disrupted sleep.  They also explore the workplace side of the conversation: Should you tell your boss you're experiencing perimenopause? What can you ask for without disclosing personal medical information? How should leaders respond when a strong employee's performance or behavior suddenly changes? And what could employers do differently to retain experienced women during a stage of life that often coincides with their peak leadership years?   You'll hear practical strategies for:  Recognizing when something has changed and seeking appropriate medical guidance  Identifying the specific workplace challenge you need to solve  Asking for support around your performance without apologizing for needing it  Deciding how much, if anything, you want to disclose at work  Creating greater flexibility around the way you work  Leading women with awareness without making assumptions or attempting to diagnose them  Building workplaces that support women without lowering expectations Because navigating changes in your body does not mean you've stopped being capable, ambitious, experienced or valuable. You can be going through perimenopause or menopause and still be at the height of your professional capability.  Important: Katy and Rebecca are not medical professionals, and this episode is not medical advice. The discussion is intended to share research, lived experiences and workplace strategies. Speak with a qualified healthcare professional about your individual symptoms, diagnosis and treatment options. National Institute on Aging: What Is Menopause? · NIA: Sleep Problems and Menopause · CIPD: Menopause in the Workplace   CONNECT WITH NO FILTER, NO APOLOGIES:  Watch full videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NOFILTERNOAPOLOGIESPODCAST Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nfnapodcast/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NFNAPodcast Follow us on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nfna_podcast11 Follow Our Hosts on LinkedIn:  - Katy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katyshapiro/ - Rebecca: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-sacks-606a7951/ Enjoying our raw conversations? Please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts

  6. Sep 8

    Want to Get Promoted? How to Make Your Work Visible & Get Noticed

    Send us Fan Mail How to Get Promoted: Make Your Work Visible and Get Noticed You work hard. You deliver. You take on more responsibility. You solve problems. So why does it sometimes feel like everyone except the people making promotion decisions knows how much you're actually contributing? For years, many of us were taught that if you work hard, stay humble, and do a great job, eventually someone will notice. But building a successful career requires more than doing great work. You also need to understand how to communicate your impact, build relationships, advocate for your growth, and make sure the right people know what you're capable of. In this episode of No Filter | No Apologies™, Katy and Rebecca break down how to create professional visibility without feeling like you're bragging. They talk about the difference between simply completing the work and demonstrating its impact, why quantifying your results matters, and how cross-functional relationships can expose you to opportunities you never would have encountered by staying inside your own department.   They also dig into mentorship and sponsorship, why you need people who know both your work and what you want next, and how to have more productive conversations with your manager about growth, feedback, and promotion readiness. Because saying “I want to grow” isn't enough if nobody knows what growth actually means to you.   You'll walk away with practical ways to:  Track and quantify your accomplishments and business impact  Communicate your wins without feeling self-promotional  Build visibility across departments and with senior leaders  Use mentors and sponsors differently and strategically  Define what career growth actually means to you  Ask for candid feedback before a promotion decision is made  Identify the skills and experiences you still need for the next level  Start positioning yourself now for your next opportunity Your career is your responsibility. Don't wait until your annual review and hope someone remembers everything you accomplished. Do great work. Know its impact. Make it visible. And make sure the people making decisions know where you want to go next.  CONNECT WITH NO FILTER, NO APOLOGIES:  Watch full videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NOFILTERNOAPOLOGIESPODCAST Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nfnapodcast/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NFNAPodcast Follow us on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nfna_podcast11 Follow Our Hosts on LinkedIn:  - Katy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katyshapiro/ - Rebecca: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-sacks-606a7951/ Enjoying our raw conversations? Please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts

  7. Sep 1

    High-Functioning Burnout: When Success Stops Being Sustainable

    Send us Fan Mail High-functioning burnout doesn’t always look like falling apart. Sometimes it looks like hitting every deadline, leading the team, growing the business, managing the household, and looking incredibly capable while quietly realizing you never actually stop. In this episode of No Filter | No Apologies™, Katy and Rebecca have an honest conversation about the line between ambition and an unsustainable pace, and why success shouldn’t require you to stay in a permanent state of exhaustion. They unpack what high-functioning burnout can look like when you’re still performing at a high level, why rest and recovery need to be part of the plan instead of something you earn after everything is finished, and how work-life integration can create more flexibility without lowering your standards or your ambition. They also get into the harder part: letting go. Delegating work you know you could do yourself. Allowing someone else to do something differently. Building teams with people who challenge you and bring strengths you don’t have. And recognizing that if everything depends on you, your success eventually becomes limited by your own capacity. As the final stretch of the year begins, this episode challenges you to ask: What deserves more of me right now? What deserves less? What needs to stop depending entirely on me? And what would my calendar look like if it protected both my highest-value work and my ability to recover? Because the goal isn’t less ambition. It’s building a life capable of supporting more of it. Your challenge: Before next Monday, remove one thing, delegate one thing, protect one thing, and schedule one thing that restores you.  CONNECT WITH NO FILTER, NO APOLOGIES:  Watch full videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NOFILTERNOAPOLOGIESPODCAST Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nfnapodcast/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NFNAPodcast Follow us on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nfna_podcast11 Follow Our Hosts on LinkedIn:  - Katy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katyshapiro/ - Rebecca: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-sacks-606a7951/ Enjoying our raw conversations? Please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts

  8. Aug 25

    Women in Leadership: Representation, Ripple Effect & Empowerment| Loudrige Jean-Phillipe

    Send us Fan Mail What becomes possible when one person opens a door for you, and you make the decision to hold it open for someone else? In this episode of No Filter | No Apologies™, Katy and Rebecca sit down with healthcare executive, author, entrepreneur, and founder Loudrige Jean-Philippe for a conversation about representation, leadership, purpose, and the ripple effect we can create when our success becomes bigger than ourselves. Loudrige's career began at the front desk and eventually took her into executive leadership, where she became known for building high-performing teams and transforming healthcare operations. But throughout that journey, one principle remained constant: people matter. She shares how mentors and sponsors helped her see what was possible for her, why great leadership requires seeing the person behind the performance metrics, and why reaching the top means very little if we're unwilling to reach back and help someone else rise. The conversation also explores: Why representation can change the trajectory of someone's career and lifeThe mentors and sponsors who helped shape Loudrige's journey from the front desk to executive leadershipWhy human connection still matters in an increasingly technology-driven workplaceWhat healthcare taught her about leading people through pressure and changeWhy she believes leaders have the ability to change someone's lifeThe meaning behind her books Chosen So Rise and Rise Above It, Rise In ItHow her own journey inspired IVA Academy in HaitiWhy empowerment requires more than encouragement and must include skills, tools, and opportunityHow one opportunity can create an impact that reaches into the next generationOne of the most powerful ideas from this conversation is also one of the simplest: When you rise, reach back. Because someone seeing what's possible through you may be the beginning of an entirely new future for them.  CONNECT WITH NO FILTER, NO APOLOGIES:  Watch full videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NOFILTERNOAPOLOGIESPODCAST Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nfnapodcast/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NFNAPodcast Follow us on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nfna_podcast11 Follow Our Hosts on LinkedIn:  - Katy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katyshapiro/ - Rebecca: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-sacks-606a7951/ Enjoying our raw conversations? Please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

 No Filter, No Apologies is a podcast for women who want honest conversations about work, leadership, and ambition without the corporate polish. We share real stories, hard truths, and practical guidance to help women move forward with clarity and confidence. 

Information

  • Creator
    Katy Shapiro & Rebecca Sacks
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    41
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 NO FILTER NO APOLOGIES
  • Show Website
    NO FILTER NO APOLOGIES