Loud & Lifted

Betsy Hamm

Loud & Lifted is a women’s leadership and career podcast for ambitious women navigating growth, visibility, workplace dynamics and the pressure to figure it all out alone. Hosted by former CEO Betsy Hamm, the show goes beyond surface-level advice and empty “women supporting women” slogans to have honest conversations about what it really takes to grow, lead and succeed at work. Through candid interviews and 10-minute Quick Lift episodes, Loud & Lifted covers the real challenges women face in their careers—from difficult bosses, workplace politics and self-doubt to executive presence, career transitions, visibility, sponsorship and finding the right support. You’ll hear practical advice, real stories from women leaders, founders and operators, and clear steps you can use in your own career. No fluff. No fake cheerleading. Just honest conversations, useful tools and a reminder that no woman should have to navigate leadership alone.

  1. 7h ago

    Deprogramming the Good Girl with Michelle Minnikin

    Were you taught to be nice, helpful, agreeable and easy to work with—only to end up overworked, undervalued and quietly resentful? In this episode, Betsy talks with psychologist, coach and Good Girl Deprogramming author Michelle Minnikin about the conditioning that teaches women to put everyone else first. They unpack how it follows us into the workplace, why traditional career advice often fails women and how being the “good girl” can eventually hold us back. Michelle also explains why resentment is one of the clearest signs that a boundary has been crossed, how to begin changing these patterns through small experiments and what it really means to enter your villain era—without becoming someone you’re not. You’ll learn: How good-girl conditioning shows up at workWhy being capable and agreeable can lead to more work, but not more opportunityHow to recognize when your boundaries are being crossedWhy resentment is an important signal instead of something to ignoreHow to practice setting boundaries in small, realistic waysWhy visibility and self-promotion aren’t selfishWhat it means to become comfortable with being disliked Learn more about Michelle and find her book, Good Girl Deprogramming, at michelleminnikin.com. Chapters 00:00 What “Good Girl” Conditioning Teaches Us 04:06 How Good Girls Show Up at Work 08:23 Deprogramming Starts with Small Steps 12:01 Resentment Is a Boundary Warning Sign 14:20 Experimenting with Boundaries 17:45 When Competence Turns You into the Worker Bee 21:10 Entering Your Villain Era 24:12 Becoming “Unfuckwithable” 25:11 Why “Let Them” Isn’t Always Enough 27:18 Who Pushes Back When Women Change 29:38 One Practice to Begin Deprogramming 31:20 Where to Connect with Michelle

    Deprogramming the Good Girl with Michelle Minnikin
  2. Sep 3

    You Built a Bigger Life. Now You Need a Different Way to Run It.

    At some point, being the woman who can handle everything stops feeling impressive and starts feeling exhausting. In this episode, I’m talking with Cherylanne Skolnicki, founder of Brilliant Balance, about what she calls the peak of complexity—that season when your career is demanding more, your family is demanding more, your ambition is still very much alive…and your available capacity is basically gone. We talk about why the same operating system that helped us climb professionally eventually stops working, why so many women become the default person for everyone and everything, and why letting go can bring up guilt, judgment, FOMO and a whole lot of control issues. Cherylanne also shares practical ways to start changing the pattern—without lowering your standards, losing your ambition or waiting for life to magically calm down. You’ll learn: Why successful women hit a “peak of complexity”How to rethink your week when there’s no time left over for youThe four emotions that make letting go so hardA better way to think about boundariesWhy delegation usually feels harder before it gets easierHow to decide what actually needs to be yoursThe question: “Am I uniquely qualified to do this?”If you’ve built the career, the family and the full life—and you’re wondering why it still feels like too much—this one is for you. Chapters 01:05 The Gen X Promise of “Having It All” 04:10 Why Cherylanne Left the Corporate Ladder 11:35 The Complexity Curve 14:30 When the Way You’ve Always Operated Stops Working 17:05 The Peak of Complexity 19:40 Why You Need a New Operating System 21:20 Treat Your Week Like Your Life in Miniature 24:15 Put Yourself Into the Week First 27:25 Becoming the Default Person for Everyone 29:15 Guilt, FOMO, Judgment and Control 31:55 Boundaries Other People May Not Like 34:25 Delegating Without Lowering Your Standards 36:25 Small Experiments That Create More Capacity 38:05 No One Is Coming to Save You Links Take this quiz: Discover What's Standing Between You and Where You Want to Be Brilliant Balance Instagram: Brilliant Balance Instagram: Cherylanne

    You Built a Bigger Life. Now You Need a Different Way to Run It.
  3. Aug 27

    Perimenopause Is Not a Career Decline: What to Know and What to Do

    You are exhausted. You cannot sleep. Your anxiety feels higher. Your focus is off. And suddenly you are wondering why things that used to feel manageable now seem so much harder. It might be stress. But what if it is not just stress? In this Quick Lift, Betsy shares the key takeaways from her conversation with Dr. Caissa Troutman about perimenopause, leadership and why women can mistakenly interpret very real symptoms as a loss of capability. This is not a medical deep dive. It is the girlfriend version of what women need to know: what to pay attention to, why brain fog and poor sleep can affect confidence at work, when to seek support and why powering through is not always the answer. You’ll learn: Why perimenopause symptoms are so easily mistaken for stress or burnoutHow poor sleep, anxiety and brain fog can affect confidence and credibility at workWhy perimenopause often collides with some of women’s biggest career yearsWhy “normal” does not mean you have to sufferWhat to pay attention to when something suddenly feels differentHow to find a provider who understands perimenopauseWhy you should get curious before deciding you are losing your edgeHow to think about support at work without feeling like you need to disclose everythingPerimenopause is common. It can affect your career. And it does not mean you are becoming less capable. Links Listen to the full episode Connect with Dr. Troutman

    Perimenopause Is Not a Career Decline: What to Know and What to Do
  4. Aug 20

    You’re Not Losing Your Edge: Perimenopause, Work and the Pressure to Power Through

    Perimenopause often arrives during the exact years women are leading teams, running businesses, pursuing promotions and managing enormous responsibilities at work and at home. But many women do not recognize what is happening. They blame the anxiety on stress. The exhaustion on their schedule. The 3:00 a.m. wake-ups on everything running through their minds. And because they are not having hot flashes, they dismiss perimenopause as a possible explanation. In this episode, Betsy sits down with Dr. Caissa Troutman, a physician specializing in menopause and midlife health—and Betsy’s own doctor—to talk about how perimenopause can affect sleep, focus, confidence, credibility and career decisions. They explore the difference between perimenopause and menopause, the symptoms women commonly miss and why women are so often told that what they are experiencing is simply stress or aging. Dr. Troutman also shares the treatment options available, including hormone therapy, nutrition, movement, stress support and individualized medical care. This is not about women becoming less capable. It is about understanding what is happening before women—or the people around them—mistake it for decline. You’ll learn: How perimenopause differs from menopauseWhy anxiety, fatigue, sleep disruption and brain fog are commonly overlooked symptomsHow perimenopause can affect confidence and credibility at workWhy women often blame themselves and try to power throughHow untreated symptoms can influence promotions, leadership opportunities and career decisionsWhy hormone therapy may help some women but is not the only optionWhat to look for in a provider who understands menopause careWhy there is no medal for suffering through a normal biological transitionPerimenopause is common. It is okay to talk about it. And there are solutions. Chapters 0:00 — Why Perimenopause Belongs in a Leadership Conversation 1:40 — What Perimenopause Actually Is3:55 — The Symptoms Women Don’t Expect 7:55 — What’s Happening With Your Hormones 9:05 — “I Thought It Was Just Stress” 13:20 — Brain Fog, Confidence & the Career Credibility Hit 15:45 — Should You Talk About Perimenopause at Work? 19:20 — How to Know When It’s Time to Get Help 22:05 — What to Do If Your Doctor Dismisses You 24:00 — The Career Cost of Untreated Symptoms 25:45 — HRT and Other Treatment Options 27:10 — Meals, Movement, Mind & Meds 31:10 — Stop Powering Through & Start Prioritizing Yourself 33:00 — Where to Connect With Dr. Troutman Links Connect with Dr. Troutman Instagram

    You’re Not Losing Your Edge: Perimenopause, Work and the Pressure to Power Through
  5. Aug 6

    Why So Many Successful Women Lose Their Voice

    What if you are not struggling to speak up because you lack confidence—but because you have spent years learning to stay silent? Elaine Lin Hering, author of Unlearning Silence, joins Betsy to explore how women withhold their opinions, needs, goals and emotions to make life easier for everyone around them. That silence may earn you a reputation as agreeable, helpful and easy to work with, but it can also leave you feeling overlooked, exhausted and disconnected from who you are. Elaine shares why women often lose touch with what they think and need, how narrow expectations around leadership and executive presence silence talented people, and why your perspective becomes one of your greatest professional assets as you advance. You’ll learn: How learned silence shows up beyond simply staying quietWhy women are often rewarded for being agreeable and easy to work withHow narrow definitions of leadership and executive presence silence talented peopleWhy your perspective becomes more valuable as you advance in your careerTwo questions that can help you reconnect with what you think and needHow low-risk experiments can help you start using your voice againA simple phrase that can turn potential conflict into conversationBecause being loud is not about dominating the room. It is about having the agency to show up fully as yourself. Chapters 00:00 Why Women Learn to Stay Silent 01:50 What “Unlearning Silence” Really Means 05:05 Why We’re Rewarded for Being Easy and Agreeable 07:45 How Workplaces Silence People Without Realizing It 10:16 The Problem With “Executive Presence” 12:03 Start Speaking Up With Low-Risk Experiments 15:24 How to Help Other Women Find Their Voice 16:37 Two Questions: What Do I Think and Need? 17:25 Why Your Perspective Is Your Career Value 19:57 Sharing What You Need Isn’t Selfish 21:06 When High-Achieving Women Lose Themselves 30:31 Voice Is About Choice—not Constantly Talking 31:30 What Being “Loud” Actually Means 32:13 A Simple Phrase for Speaking Up at Work 33:53 Practical Steps to Start Unlearning Silence Links Connect with Elaine Purchase Unlearning Silence

    Why So Many Successful Women Lose Their Voice

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Loud & Lifted is a women’s leadership and career podcast for ambitious women navigating growth, visibility, workplace dynamics and the pressure to figure it all out alone. Hosted by former CEO Betsy Hamm, the show goes beyond surface-level advice and empty “women supporting women” slogans to have honest conversations about what it really takes to grow, lead and succeed at work. Through candid interviews and 10-minute Quick Lift episodes, Loud & Lifted covers the real challenges women face in their careers—from difficult bosses, workplace politics and self-doubt to executive presence, career transitions, visibility, sponsorship and finding the right support. You’ll hear practical advice, real stories from women leaders, founders and operators, and clear steps you can use in your own career. No fluff. No fake cheerleading. Just honest conversations, useful tools and a reminder that no woman should have to navigate leadership alone.

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