Ellevate Network: Conversations With Women Changing the Face of Business

Allyson McDonald

The Ellevate Podcast spotlights women+ making a difference across industries—entrepreneurs, authors, executives, and other trailblazers who share the strategies, stumbles, and wins that shaped their careers. Hosted by Ally McDonald and produced by Ashton Porzio, the show blends real talk with practical guidance to help you navigate today’s business landscape. Expect actionable advice on leadership, growth, and impact; thoughtful conversations on purpose and resilience; and insights you can use immediately—whether you’re a founder, a corporate leader, or somewhere in between. Tune in for engaging stories, smart takeaways, and the momentum to take your next step. About Ellevate Network: Ellevate is a community of professional women+ committed to helping each other succeed. We use the power of community to help you take the next step in your career. We show up for each other, helping everyone — no matter their background or aspirations — build a career they love. And even more importantly, we mobilize our collective power to change the culture of business. Although our community is the largest of its kind, we know that navigating a sea of faceless connections is a waste of time. That’s why we prioritize meaningful relationships—local and digital—that offer real insights and open real doors. Our community has reach, power, and influence, while remaining warm, welcoming, and deeply supportive. Ellevate is where changemakers cultivate their voice, build bridges of understanding, and mobilize for impact. We also partner with leading companies to improve hiring, retention, and diversity, equity, and inclusion across organizations. Our History: Ellevate Network (formerly known as 85 Broads) was founded in 1997 by Janet Hanson, one of the first women promoted to sales management at Goldman Sachs. During a moment of transition in her own life, she realized that clarity comes from community—and that women needed a place to share insight, opportunity, and support. What began as an unofficial network for women connected to Goldman Sachs quickly expanded across industries and continents. In 2014, the community rebranded from 85 Broads to Ellevate Network to reflect its evolution from a finance-focused group to a broad, diverse, global community of ambitious and values-driven women+ working together to change the culture of business.

  1. E502 | Manage Yourself to Lead Others with Margaret C. Andrews

    4H AGO

    E502 | Manage Yourself to Lead Others with Margaret C. Andrews

    In this thought-provoking episode of the Ellevate Podcast, host Ally McDonald sits down with leadership expert, Harvard instructor, and MYLO Center founder Margaret C. Andrews for an honest, insightful conversation about what it truly means to lead. Drawing from her decades of research, teaching, and executive experience, Margaret shares the deeply personal origin story behind her new book, Managing Yourself to Lead Others—a moment when blunt feedback forced her to confront her own blind spots and reshape the way she showed up as a leader. Together, Ally and Margaret explore the often-overlooked foundation of great leadership: understanding and managing yourself. They discuss why so many high performers struggle with self-awareness, how intention and behavior can clash, and why emotions—far from being obstacles—are critical data that inform our decisions and our impact on others. Through compelling examples from Margaret’s work with leaders around the world, they unpack the patterns, challenges, and transformative shifts that help people bridge the gap between who they think they are and how others experience them. This episode is rich with reflection, psychology, and practical wisdom. Whether you’re an emerging leader or a seasoned executive, Margaret’s insights will challenge you to pause, look inward, and consider how mastering yourself is the key to elevating not just your work—but everyone around you. Manage Yourself to Lead Others: Why Great Leadership Begins with Self-Understanding By Margaret Andrews. To learn more about Ellevate Network and how we’re building a community that supports women+ at every stage of their careers, visit ellevatenetwork.com or reach out to info@ellevatenetwork.com.

    32 min
  2. E501 | Moving Forward Towards an Unknown Future

    OCT 29

    E501 | Moving Forward Towards an Unknown Future

    In this candid, tools-forward conversation, Ingrid Goldbloom Bloch—founder of Mosaic Careers—shares how to use design thinking to navigate real constraints and real possibilities. She explains why human problems aren’t linear, how to distinguish circumstances from thoughts, and how small reframes shift feelings, actions, and results. Ingrid introduces the idea of “gravity problems” (unchangeable realities like caregiving load or a tight budget) and redirects energy toward what is changeable: the stories you tell yourself, the skills you emphasize, the micro-experiments you try, and the support you invite in through radical collaboration. Drawing on exercises like Odyssey Planning and the “8–12 lives” thought experiment, Ingrid helps listeners surface the themes that run across their many possible futures—then translate those themes into low-risk pilots and resume narratives that point where they’re going, not just where they’ve been. She also tackles time pressure with her “tiger time” practice (non-negotiable blocks for high-energy work), attention batching, and matching tasks to your natural energy curve. Finally, Ingrid invites a kinder inner dialogue—asking whether you’ve become your own toxic boss, and how models like Internal Family Systems can help you notice, name, and soften the inner critic. The result is a grounded roadmap for moving forward toward an unknown future—one reframe, one micro-step, and one protected block of time at a time. Thank you to our sponsor Gies College of Business Want to be considered for the podcast? Send an email to ashton@ellevatenetwork.com with your topic focus and a short bio. To learn more about Ellevate Network and how we’re building a community that supports women+ at every stage of their careers, visit ellevatenetwork.com or reach out to info@ellevatenetwork.com.

    31 min
  3. E496 | Fearless Leadership with Whitney Faires: How to Lead in a way that Inspires, Compels, and Influences.

    SEP 26

    E496 | Fearless Leadership with Whitney Faires: How to Lead in a way that Inspires, Compels, and Influences.

    What separates good managers from leaders people line up to work for? In this energizing conversation, host Anusha sits down with Whitney Faires—internationally recognized coach, keynote speaker, and former senior executive at Intuitive Surgical who helped scale a $2B business line—to unpack the Courageous Leader Roadmap. Whitney shares the “Sunday-night test” for honest self-assessment, explains why people-first leadership outperforms results-only management, and reframes fearless communication as a practice of refusing to let fear decide what gets said—not saying everything that crosses your mind. You’ll learn how to identify your leadership archetype, build judgment and self-awareness in high-stakes moments, and consistently access your power zone using personal activators (and guarding against depletors). Whitney also talks candidly about navigating guilt, competing priorities, and career pivots you didn’t choose—plus how to reclaim agency by focusing on what you can control and designing growth inside any role. Whether you’re managing your first team or scaling a division, this episode gives you practical prompts, mindset shifts, and repeatable routines to raise your game—and your team’s. Connect with Whitney on LinkedIn or Instagram (@whitney_faires) and join her mailing list for upcoming workshops and group coaching opportunities. Thank you to Gies College of Business for Sponsoring this Podcast.  Want to be considered for the podcast? Send an email to ashton@ellevatenetwork.com with your topic focus and a short bio. To learn more about Ellevate Network and how we’re building a community that supports women+ at every stage of their careers, visit ellevatenetwork.com or reach out to info@ellevatenetwork.com .

    34 min
4.8
out of 5
135 Ratings

About

The Ellevate Podcast spotlights women+ making a difference across industries—entrepreneurs, authors, executives, and other trailblazers who share the strategies, stumbles, and wins that shaped their careers. Hosted by Ally McDonald and produced by Ashton Porzio, the show blends real talk with practical guidance to help you navigate today’s business landscape. Expect actionable advice on leadership, growth, and impact; thoughtful conversations on purpose and resilience; and insights you can use immediately—whether you’re a founder, a corporate leader, or somewhere in between. Tune in for engaging stories, smart takeaways, and the momentum to take your next step. About Ellevate Network: Ellevate is a community of professional women+ committed to helping each other succeed. We use the power of community to help you take the next step in your career. We show up for each other, helping everyone — no matter their background or aspirations — build a career they love. And even more importantly, we mobilize our collective power to change the culture of business. Although our community is the largest of its kind, we know that navigating a sea of faceless connections is a waste of time. That’s why we prioritize meaningful relationships—local and digital—that offer real insights and open real doors. Our community has reach, power, and influence, while remaining warm, welcoming, and deeply supportive. Ellevate is where changemakers cultivate their voice, build bridges of understanding, and mobilize for impact. We also partner with leading companies to improve hiring, retention, and diversity, equity, and inclusion across organizations. Our History: Ellevate Network (formerly known as 85 Broads) was founded in 1997 by Janet Hanson, one of the first women promoted to sales management at Goldman Sachs. During a moment of transition in her own life, she realized that clarity comes from community—and that women needed a place to share insight, opportunity, and support. What began as an unofficial network for women connected to Goldman Sachs quickly expanded across industries and continents. In 2014, the community rebranded from 85 Broads to Ellevate Network to reflect its evolution from a finance-focused group to a broad, diverse, global community of ambitious and values-driven women+ working together to change the culture of business.

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