We Are Women Unapologetically

Jessica Cumming
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Created for women who are: Pivoting careers or reinventing themselves Balancing care for both kids and aging parents Navigating professional shifts - from layoffs to promotions Ready to write their next chapter, authentically and boldly Why this podcast? Because I've been there - juggling career pivots, family demands, and personal reinvention. And I know you have too. What to expect: Honest conversations about real challenges and victories Stories from women who've turned obstacles into opportunities Practical strategies for navigating change with confidence

  1. 4D AGO

    How to Lead Through Chaos and Come Out Stronger: Career Pivots, Self-Trust & Motherhood with Maartje van Krieken

    Chaos does not mean you are failing. Sometimes it means you are being challenged to lead differently. In this episode of We Are Women Unapologetically, Jessica sits down with Maartje van Krieken, a Dutch executive, fractional CEO/COO/CSO, and founder of Chaos Games Consulting, to explore what it really takes to lead through chaos. With more than 20 years driving complex, high-stakes initiatives around the world, Maartje has built a career in what she calls the gray space. She never fit neatly into a traditional corporate ladder, yet she consistently stepped into leadership when situations were messy, high pressure, and uncertain. This conversation goes beyond business strategy. It is about resilience, identity, and self-trust. Together, Jessica and Maartje discuss: • Navigating career misalignment in male-dominated industries• Building a path when you do not fit the box• The reality of global moves and starting over repeatedly• Pregnancy loss, depression, and surviving emotional chaos far from home• Motherhood without becoming the poster child• Learning to filter outside advice and trust your own instincts• Helping organizations make decisions when everything feels unstable If you are in a season where your career or life feels uncertain, this episode will help you pause, reflect, and get clear on what comes next. 🎁 Need your own clarity moment? Download Jessica’s free Clarity in 10 Reset . If this episode resonated, follow/subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a woman navigating a career or life pivot.

    47 min

  2. FEB 25

    Scope Creep Is a Leadership Gap: Why High Performers Pay the Price

    Scope creep isn’t just a project management problem — it’s a leadership gap. In this episode of We Are Women Unapologetically, Jessica Cumming breaks down why high performers are often the ones quietly absorbing the cost of unclear agreements, shifting priorities, and undefined expectations. If you’ve ever said “yes” to something and immediately felt resentment…If your evenings are disappearing because “it’ll only take 10 minutes”…If you pride yourself on being capable — but secretly feel stretched thin… This episode is for you. Jessica unpacks: What scope creep really is (and why 52% of projects experience it, according to the Project Management Institute) How high performers unintentionally fund their own overload The hidden “taxes” of over-delivering — time, mental load, opportunity, respect, and identity Why undercharging isn’t about money — it’s about unclear terms Practical boundary scripts you can use immediately in corporate, business, or personal settings This isn’t about working harder.It’s about making agreements real. When expectations are undefined, high performers pay the price. But when leaders clarify scope, standards, and access, chaos goes down — and performance improves. If you are ready to stop funding your own hesitation and start leading with clarity, this episode will give you the language and the structure to do it. Ready for Deeper Support? Start with the Clarity in 10 Reset—a practical reset to help you define what you want and stop absorbing invisible overtime. Want to go deeper?Join the waitlist for The Courage to Pause or book a personal Clarity Call with Jessica to redefine your standards, boundaries, and next move. Because leadership begins with clear terms.

    17 min

  3. FEB 18

    Zone of Genius How to Clarify Your Value and Charge What You’re Worth with Orly Zeewy

    I’m joined by Orly Zeewy, author, brand strategist, and the woman who makes fuzzy clear. If you’ve ever felt like your work is valuable but your message is hard to explain, or your pricing still feels like a guess, this episode will land. We talk about how to identify your zone of genius, communicate it in a way people understand quickly, and charge like the expert you actually are. Orly breaks down why women tend to underprice, how “being nice” shows up in money decisions, and what it looks like to stop defending your rates and start standing in them. You’ll also hear us get real about imposter syndrome during career shifts, why negotiation matters more than most women were taught, and how the future of work is rewarding human skills like relationship-building, critical thinking, and cultural fluency. If you’re building a business, pivoting careers, or simply ready to own your value without overexplaining, this is your episode. In this episode, we cover: What “zone of genius” really means and how to spot yours How to turn clarity into premium positioning Why women undercharge and how to shift the mindset behind it Pricing with confidence without negotiating against yourself How to talk about your work in a noisy, short-attention world The skills that will matter most as work and technology keep evolving A healthier definition of success, especially for high-achieving women Connect with Orly : Website: zeewybrands.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/orlyzeewy Book: Ready Launch Brand: The Lean Marketing Guide for Startups (Amazon) Connect with Jessica: Clarity in 10 The Courage to Pause Waitlist  Book a 30-minute clarity call Connect on LinkedIn Until next week, stay fierce, stay bold, but most importantly, stay unapologetically you.

    49 min

  4. FEB 11

    Your Brain Didn’t Get the Memo Update Your Default Settings

    You changed the chapter.The role.The schedule.Maybe even the whole direction of your life. And still, the pace feels familiar. The pressure feels familiar. The push through mindset shows up like it never left. In this solo episode of We Are Women, Unapologetically, I’m talking about the reason your new chapter can feel like your old one. Your brain is still running old default settings. Patterns that were built in seasons where you had to stay sharp, stay needed, stay on, and stay ahead. We’re going into the neuroscience behind automatic habits, why context triggers matter, and why exhaustion makes change harder than it needs to be. I also share what this looked like for me recently, the moment I knew my body was done negotiating, and how choosing rest became part of my leadership, not a break from it. You’ll walk away with a simple reset you can use in real time, even if you’re listening while driving and you never touch a journal. Key Takeaways Why old patterns can follow you into a new chapter How automatic habits get triggered by familiar cues What habit formation research teaches us about lasting change Why rest plays a real role in decision making and behavior change Three questions to interrupt autopilot in the moment One weekly reset that helps you update a default setting without overhauling your life Clarity Reset for the Week Pick one default thought you keep running. Choose a replacement sentence you can actually believe. Practice it once in a real moment this week. Work With Me Clarity in 10 The Courage to Pause Waitlist  Book a 30-minute clarity call Connect on LinkedIn

    20 min

  5. FEB 4

    From Secret Service to Global Impact: How Tracy MacDonald Leads with Resilience Across Continents

    Some titles come with power. Others come with pressure. Tracy McDonald has held both. She’s served as a U.S. Secret Service agent, a counterterrorism instructor, a global fraud consultant, and a Foreign Service spouse. But the moments that shaped her most weren’t the ones on paper — they were the ones behind closed doors, in countries few Americans will ever step foot in, when she had to ask herself: What now? In this episode, Jessica Cumming and Tracy unpack: The truth behind the badge Why knowing when to leave is a leadership skill How to rebuild a career that aligns with your actual values Parenting through instability, repatriation, and reality checks What women really need to know about power, permission, and pivoting It’s a conversation about grit, discernment, and trusting yourself to do the brave thing, even when it doesn’t make sense to anyone else. Key Takeaways: Your next chapter doesn’t require your last one’s permission The power isn’t in the job, it’s in how you carry it Leaving a role doesn’t mean leaving your impact behind Every shift builds skills you can’t learn in a classroom There is no blueprint for women who lead in unconventional ways Power Quote:"You add value just by waking up in this world every day. You don’t have to earn it." — Tracy McDonald Connect with Tracy McDonald: 🔗 ⁠LinkedIn⁠ 📸 ⁠CarpeDamnCreative.com⁠ – Her blog of stories and photography from life abroad📅 Want more conversations like this? Follow Jessica on LinkedIn:⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacumming04/

    55 min

  6. JAN 28

    The Cost of Self-Doubt: Reclaiming the Voice You Were Taught to Ignore: Undo the inner override that turns 35,000 decisions a day into mental drain.

    You make around 35,000 decisions a day. When you don’t trust yourself, every one of those decisions costs more energy than it should. In this solo episode, I break down the internal override that turns everyday choices into mental drain. We talk about how self-trust gets replaced by approval, how conditioning hides behind “being responsible,” and the micro-moves that help you rebuild trust in real time. No dramatic reinvention required. Just a return to the version of you that used to know. Work With Me If you’re done second-guessing yourself and ready to make the move you keep postponing, this is exactly what I help with.Book a call Clarity in 10™ Reset If you need a fast reset before you make another decision from stress, download my Clarity in 10™ Reset.Get it here Connect with me: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacumming04/ Website: https://www.jcnewbeginnings.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicacumming04/ Email: contact@jcnewbeginnings.com Subscribe: If this episode hit home, follow the show and leave a review. It helps more leaders find the support they’ve been doing alone. Key Takeaways: Why self-trust didn’t disappear. It got trained out of you. How the internal override turns simple decisions into mental drain. The difference between intuition and fear dressed up as “being responsible.” How approval-seeking quietly replaces your voice in leadership and in life. Micro-moves that rebuild self-trust without a full life overhaul.

    14 min

  7. JAN 21

    S2 E12: From Teenage Trauma to Purposeful Leadership With Brandi Kelly

    In this episode, Jessica talks with Dr. Brandi Kelly, a licensed clinical social worker and former school superintendent who has spent over two decades in education. Brandi’s story starts with deep personal loss. She was in high school when her brother drowned, and that moment changed everything. Since then, she’s walked through grief, burnout, family challenges, and the pressure of leadership at the highest levels. Now, she’s the founder of Spark Hope EDU and helps others rebuild their lives from the inside out. This conversation is honest, emotional, and packed with wisdom for anyone navigating hard seasons, questioning their path, or wondering if it’s too late to make a change. Key Takeaways: Real leadership often starts in the hard places Burnout is your body asking for something different It's okay to walk away, even after decades in a role Healing starts when you stop going it alone Hope is something you build, not just something you feel Power Move of the Week:Practice the pause. Slowing down is sometimes the boldest thing you can do. Want to learn more?Follow Jessica on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacumming04/ Download Clarity in 10 Contact Brandi: https://sparkhopeedu.com

    1 hr

  8. JAN 14

    S2 E11: Stop Making Their Comfort Your Responsibility | The CLEAR Method to Speak Up Without Starting a Fight

    Stop making other people’s comfort your responsibility. If you’ve been swallowing comments, smoothing tension, or staying quiet to keep the peace, it’s not “maturity”—it’s self-silencing. And over time, it chips away at your confidence, your self-trust, and even your nervous system’s ability to feel safe being seen. In this episode, Jessica Cumming breaks down what really happens when you finally speak up—not dramatically, not aggressively, but clearly. She shares the real-life moment a familiar comment crossed the line and she stopped protecting a dynamic that was never protecting her. The result wasn’t chaos—it was relief, alignment, and a version of herself she could finally respect. Here’s the CLEAR method to speak up without starting a fight:C — Clarify what’s actually bothering you (say the real thing, not the softened version)L — Listen to your gut (your body notices misalignment first)E — Evaluate the cost of silence (will you respect yourself tomorrow?)A — Align with your values (speaking up is integrity, not aggression)R — Respond directly (one sentence is enough) This episode is for the woman who’s tired of shrinking in meetings, swallowing comments in relationships, or carrying emotional weight she never agreed to hold. Your voice doesn’t come back all at once—it returns one sentence at a time. Power Move of the Week: Say one thing you’ve been swallowing. One clear sentence. Then stop negotiating with yourself about whether you were “too much.” Want to learn more? Follow Jessica on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacumming04/Download Clarity in 10 Reset: https://www.jcnewbeginnings.com/clarity-in-10Ready to go deeper? Book a Clarity Call: https://www.jcnewbeginnings.com/booking-calendar/clarity-call?referral=service_list_widget

    14 min
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Created for women who are: Pivoting careers or reinventing themselves Balancing care for both kids and aging parents Navigating professional shifts - from layoffs to promotions Ready to write their next chapter, authentically and boldly Why this podcast? Because I've been there - juggling career pivots, family demands, and personal reinvention. And I know you have too. What to expect: Honest conversations about real challenges and victories Stories from women who've turned obstacles into opportunities Practical strategies for navigating change with confidence

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