In this episode, Heather interviews Nikki Rausch, author, speaker, sales coach, and CEO of Sales Maven. Tune in to hear their conversation on:  "I came across this word Maven." - Why Nikki chose to name her company Sales Maven. "Am I going to be standing here talking to the same people in 10 years?" - What inspired Nikki to leave her sales career and start her own sales coaching business. "I'm going to write a book while I'm job hunting." - How Nikki got started writing her first book during a career transition. "Sales is something you do with people." - Nikki's tips on how to approach sales with confidence in your expertise, the importance of connecting with people, and how to make the entire process less awkward.

In this episode, Heather interviews KC Mancebo, artist manager and CEO of Clamorhouse & Clamorhouse Kids.   Tune in to hear their conversation on:   “I fell into music and entertainment through a completely different world.”  How a devastating loss spurred KC to reevaluate her career in fashion and led her into the music world launching the Spice Girls.  “I look at brand as more of a quality and really explaining what your quality is.”  From Brittney Spears to K-Pop festivals, helping people identify with the music they love and creating memories is the driving force behind KCs work branding artists and producing events.  “I got really focused on it when I started working with the Whole Planet Foundation. “ After years working in the music management industry, KC began working with the Whole Planet Foundation and helped food brands and the music world come together for philanthropic purposes.  "We ended up talking to Food Network and figured out how to shoot the show during COVID."  KCs work managing the Potash Twins and shooting The Takeout Twins during COVID and how things are starting to transition back to live.  "We're hoping to open it up to fundraisers."  After losing her home to the fires, KC and her husband are rebuilding it as a tribute to her late father-in-law, architect Irving Tobocman, and their plans to use it as an event venue as well as a home.  "I am the proud mother of pretty incredible people."   KC's 16-year-old daughter Zoe launched the charity Queens in Need to support drag queens during COVID. 

In this episode, Heather interviews Debbie Ireland, speaker, CEO of ShareThePoint, and author of Work Life Balance My Arse: How to remove the guilt of putting your life first. Tune in to hear their conversation on: "We had 17 events planned for last year and we got 1 done." - Debbie's work with ShareThePoint and the Digital Workplace Events in the Asia/Pacific region and how they've adapted during COVID. "This stuff's pretty cool, I can figure that out." - How a weekend at the beach reading Access for Dummies sparked Debbie's passion for tech and started her on a career in it. "There's this other side of me that's not just tech." – How speaking at events and an early interest in self-development led Debbie to write Work-Life Balance My Arse! "Balance implies that you have to be in the middle." - One of the topics Debbie takes on in her book - magic doesn't happen in the middle – identifying what matters most in the moment and changing the balance to achieve that goal without swinging too far and losing all control. "Looking at the results I was getting and knowing the results were based on the meaning I was giving something." - How learning the why of her actions and choices has helped Debbie spark change in her life and career and seats her in who she is now.

In this episode, Heather interviews Nancy McSharry Jensen, CEO, and Co-Founder of The Swing Shift, the destination for women in career transition.   Tune in to hear their conversation on: "I was kicking around this idea of working with women who took breaks or wanted to do something different." – How Nancy and Sarah Duenwald met and formed the Swing Shift. "COVID hit and we needed a hard, fast shift to digital." – Shifting how their services were offered when in-person events and coaching were not feasible with a focus on building community and guidance without 3-hour zoom calls. "In January women lost 156,000 jobs and guys picked up 16,000 jobs. So, it's a net loss all at a working woman's expense." - The overwhelming impact of COVID on women in the workplace and what needs to change to fix it. "When it's time to go back it may have been years since they have looked for a job and they don't really know how the game is played." - How Nancy's Back to Business book and e-course guide people through the entire process of returning to work and finding a job at their own pace. "Don't let them funnel off – keep them in." - The Swing Shift's latest offering, Career Break Initiative, focused on helping companies recruit and retain employees and build loyalty with the company by developing support programs and benefits to allow career breaks for employees.

In this episode, Heather interviews Andy Ginn, Senior Consultant and Solution Architect at Hewlett Packard Enterprise Pointnext Services and Director of Pocket Angel. Tune in to hear their conversation on: "I went into menswear to start off with." - How a brief stint in retail led Andy to take a government-funded programming course and begin his career in tech. "The user is the most important aspect of any transformation program." - Andy's work with HPE and their many initiatives that focus on the human side of tech internally and with their customers. "She asked me to join that organization in my spare time." - How Andy became involved with Pocket Angel, a not-for-profit digital platform helping those experiencing homelessness, rough sleepers, and the socially disadvantaged. "We pivoted the app quite quickly." - How the lockdowns spurred Pocket Angel to shift how they delivered the donations their users contributed. "If you really analyze your life you can probably find five to six sliding door moments." - A mentor early in his tech career taught Andy to focus on the people using the tech which has been a theme throughout his career.

In this episode Heather interviews Stacy Deere, Microsoft MVP and Owner and Senior SharePoint Architect of Focal Point Solutions, LLC.  Tune-in to hear their conversation on: "It's not just SharePoint anymore." Stacy's work with her company Focal Point Solutions, an end-to-end SharePoint and Microsoft 365 firm, and how it has grown and evolved to keep up with Microsoft's fast development cadence. "What's that extra little thing we can do and have fun with it?" As an organizer for SharePoint Saturday Cincinnati, Stacy is heavily involved in the community. Hear about upcoming plans for the event, post-COVID and why they plan it for Halloween weekend. "How do we use the technology we own to do that?" Owning a company that has been remote for the past nine years Stacy shares how she helped clients make the transition to remote work with tech and leadership advice. "I tested out of my first computer class my second week in." Growing up in a rural area, Stacy's access to computers was limited, but an introductory class in college inspired her to pursue a degree and a career in tech. "Always plan for unexpected growth." Stacy's advice to entrepreneurs: build for the future and not just the time to be prepared for the worst case and the best case. "If I didn't play sports I don't think I would be the same person I am today." Surrounded by brothers, sports became a central part of Stacy's childhood and the lessons she learned through them are what seats her in who she is today.

In this episode, Heather interviews Emily Mancini, Architect at Sympraxis Consulting, Microsoft MVP, and PnP Team Member. Tune in to hear their conversation on: "I call them Emily's Cliff Notes." How Emily uses her blog and micro topics to help businesses and people with Microsoft 365 user experience. "Give them the set so they can spike it there." From speaking engagements to her work with the PnP community, why Emily believes continuously learning and sharing those lessons is important to the community and invaluable to the individual. "Sharing is Caring." Emily's work with the PnP team to remove barriers and encourage first-time speakers and GitHub contributors. "I grew up typing in MS-DOS commands before I could write, but it never seemed like a thing I was going to do." How a screen share mishap led Emily into a career focused on tech.

In this episode Heather interviews Rachana Gupta and Sahana Gupta, sisters, college students and founders of Silk Sense, a sustainable, slow fashion line. Tune-in to hear their conversation on: "We decided to keep that sustainability theme in our minds." Inspired by running a used Sari drove in Texas, Rachana and Sahana developed Silk Sense, a men's apparel line focused on creating luxury items that are sourced and produced sustainably and also supports artisans to keep traditional crafts alive. "She brings in all of the art side, the fashion design side, and I bring in all of the tech side." How Sahana, a fashion business major at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Rachana, a computer science major at UT Dallas, use their different skills to build Silk Sense. "There's so much we can do to help this world." Born in the US but raised in India, Rachana and Sahana learned early on the importance of community and service to others. "We both unanimously agree that it's our mom." How their mother's unrelenting support and guidance has helped seat Sahana and Rachana in who they are now.

In this episode Heather interviews Kirsty McGrath, 3 time Microsoft MVP and Managing Director of OnPoint Solutions, an Australian training and adoption practice focused on Microsoft 365. Tune-in to hear their conversation on: Originally it started as a PowerPoint company. - How OnPoint Solutions got its start as a PPT building service to a training and adoption practice for all of Microsoft 365 and the new problems clients are facing with their new remote workforces. The journey that you often have in your career is never really straight in that you do jump several different careers to land on what you are passionate about. - Kirsty's career path from traveling salesperson to various temp positions that led her to tech and founding her own company. Living a life of no excuses. - How Kirsty learned that keeping a positive mindset helped her bring her family up and build her business even when times were tough. Understanding your journey and your path and knowing what to brush off and what to standup for. - From fighting burnout and reassessing priorities to facing the challenges of being a woman in tech - Kirsty shares lessons learned. For me it’s the strong women in my world that I want to be better for or that I want to help show the way. - What seats Kirsty in who she is now.

In this episode Heather interviews Ron Carucci co-founder and managing partner at Navalent, author and speaker.  Tune-in to hear their conversation on: "We're about helping them construct the path to get there." - Ron's work with Navalent, a boutique consulting firm helping the C-level navigate transformational change. "The pandemic was a great awakening for leaders about what it really takes to unleash the best in people and sustain that, versus trying to wring the most out of people before they die ." - The importance of human focused leadership in surviving crisis situations and massive change. "Honesty is not a personality trait, it’s a muscle." - A dive into Ron's upcoming book To Be Honest, Lead with the Power of Truth, Justice & Purpose - shares inspiring stories of leaders who model what honesty really means alongside actionable steps to build honesty and trust into your culture. "Everything but death is revocable." - How a few words from his mentor act as Ron's northstar and taught him to lean in and take the risk.

In this episode Heather interviews Hailley Field, founder and head chef of HomeCooked and Cheese Executive Officer for Whisps.  Tune-in to hear their conversation on: That comes from my mom. - Hailley's introduction to food and cooking from her "perfect home cook" mother and how that inspired her. It definitely started by accident. - How HomeCooked came to life. The whole landscape completely changed. - Days away from shooting the pilot for HomeCooked the series before the first shutdown hit, Hailley had to reset and shift to adapt her plans to the new normal. I'm seeing that this is a creative opportunity in disguise. - How Hailley became the Cheese Executive Officer for Wisps. That’s what I genuinely thought would be my career path. - How Hailley shifted from working as a confidence coach for men to becoming a food personality. That was a defining, validating moment to combine your authenticity with your marketability. - Getting her first MC job as the Quiz Princess seats Hailley in who she is now.

In this episode Heather interviews Richard Campbell, tech consultant and host of the RunAs Radio and .NET Rocks! podcasts. Tune-in to hear their conversation on: "It was an accelerant." How the pandemic shifted our focus to how the tools serve us to build healthier workplaces and patterns and brought wellness to the forefront. "We're never getting to the bottom of our to-do list." The evolution of business process automation and how the low code/no code revolution has opened doors to traditional and non-traditional developers. "I'm literally a lifer." With an early start at the age of eight programming cash registers for his dad and his first job in computer repair at the age of 12, Richard's career in tech was supported by his parents and inspired by curiosity. "I was able to translate bad documentation into better things." How Richard's career transitioned over the years and led to consulting and podcast hosting. Our tools are simply amplifiers of our behavior. - Heather and Richard get into the human side of work and share experiences of how teams succeed and fail. "I'm not going to put energy into things I do not want more of." How the birth of his second child was the catalyst that pushed Richard to take charge of his career path and drive it in the direction he wanted.

In our first episode of 2021 Heather interviews Karin Reed, CEO and Chief Confidence Creator of Speaker Dynamics, a corporate communications training firm. Tune-in to hear their conversation on: "I work in an area with two things people hate." - As Chief Confidence Creator Karin works to help people build confidence in public speaking and being on camera. "I loved being able to hear everybody's different stories and that's where I found my joy." - Karin's career in media starting out at a local CBS affiliate and then up to an NBC owned and operated station in Providence, Rhode Island where she earned an Emmy for her documentary special needs adoptions. "I think I can help people to do this better." - A growing family led Karin to move out of the broadcast world and into the executive coaching world. "I went form training the executive team to the entire enterprise." - How COVID has affected her work and the projects the company has developed to keep up with the new demand. "You kind of need a guidebook when you're in this new modality." - With the sudden switch to remote work, Speaker Dynamics saw a huge demand shift from coaching executives to coaching the entire company. This inspired Karin to team up with Dr. Joseph Allen to write Suddenly Virtual: Making Remote Meetings Work, a data-based guide to virtual meeting best practices. "People need to be more intentional about the kind of work that is being done in these meetings." - Why "This could've been an email" needs to be thought about before scheduling virtual meetings to prevent "Zoom Fatigue". She also shares a couple of quick tips to ensure you show up as your best at your next virtual meeting or presentation.

Tune in to the Mavens Do It Better podcast 2nd Anniversary Special. In this episode host Heather Newman is joined by podcast producer Annelise Sexton. Heather and Annelise wrap the year with lessons learned, how Mavens Do It Better has evolved, plans for next year, and favorite moments from 2020's guests. Thank you to all of our guests, listeners, and supporters - you stories, ears, and cheers keep this podcast going. With this episode we are closing out 2020 and hope you'll listen in next year when we return.

In this episode Heather interviews Dr. Tammy Nelson, Certified Sex and Relationship Therapist and Licensed Counselor, speaker, podcast host, and author. Tune-in to hear their conversation on: "We're sort of living in this moment of uncertainty." - The effects of the pandemic on couples and individuals and how they are coping with lockdown and a contact-free society. "How come there's no graduate program for sex?" - Dr. Tammy's career journey from art therapist to relationship and sex therapist. "Set up a sex date." - The importance of creating time and space for sex and erotic anticipation in your relationship. "We change and grow as people and we develop in a relationship." - Why Dr. Tammy recommends couples create and continuously update a Monogamy Agreement so their implied assumptions don't get the better of their relationships.

In this episode Heather interviews Jerry Palm, sports writer and bracketologist for CBS Sports.  Tune-in to hear their conversation on: “I've never been a big fan of that word.” - Dubbed a Bracketologist, Jerry explains the basics of what he does and how he blends the data with behavioral science to make his predictions for NCAA Tournament selection and brackets as well as College Football Playoffs. “I kinda put the geek in sports geek. But, when I'm on television I can't really geek it up too much because people's eyes will glaze over.” -  Jerry's work at CBS Sports on and off the screen. “I never thought anybody would care about this.” - With the goal of developing his programmer skills,  how Jerry got started with sport predictions and took it from a hobby to a career. “It's hard to social distance on a football field.” - Predicting during COVID and how it has impacted college athletics and the communities built around them. “We got bought by one bank too many.” - How getting downsized in 2002 from his banking job pushed Jerry to pursue his passion.

In this episode Heather interviews Carolyn Wang, Head of Communications at Verily Life Sciences. Tune-in to hear their conversation on: My world got turned upside down in March - How a mention in a presidential press conference shifted Carolyn's work into high-gear supporting their COVID-19 initiatives like Project Baseline providing testing sites and Healthy at Work helping businesses and schools return to work safely. Empowering our scientists with some communication skills would be very valuable right now. - How a BS in Biology led to and supports Carolyn's work in communications and the importance of both. Collecting, organizing, and activating healthcare information. - Verily's work to build tools that collect better data, organize it so knowledge can be extracted from it, and develop interventions and tools to support care and research with a focus on preventative and value based care. Going in with a flexible mindset and the desire to learn as much as possible. - Carolyn's advice to  young people looking to go into communications and finding one's career path. Striving for something that's bigger than us, and this bigger beauty, and something we can achieve in our own power.  - Reading The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand in high school left its mark on Carolyn and permeated her life.

In this episode Heather interviews James Underdown, Executive Director of the Center for Inquiry-Los Angeles, paranormal investigator, podcast host, and writer.  Tune-in to hear their conversation on: "Skepticism is not the same as cynicism, which is not the same as denialism." - James' work with the Center for Inquiry and what the goals of the CFI are. "Oh, man, it's convoluted." - How stand-up comedy, filmmaking and playwriting eventually led James to a career at the CFI. "We get the least amount of time and have to exercise the most patience of anyone on the show" - From calling out psychics to debunking flat-earthers, James often appears as a guest on TV programs as a skeptic, often leaving him feeling like the wet blanket. "It's basically the same set of things that you value for humanity." - James breaks down what atheists, humanists and secular humanists are. "The scientific world's PR people have not been the best over the years." - How skeptics get a bad rap and why they are so important, especially in these times. "And I proceeded to lie me a$$ off to him." - How being held back in Sunday school and his first confession sparked the skepticism that drives him now.

In this episode Heather interviews Zoe Smiles, jewelry, self-care, and clothing designer and founder of Happy Goods.  Tune-in to hear their conversation on: "Handmade products for Happy People" - The inspiration behind Zoe's playful jewelry and accessory line Happy Goods. "I think I have an additional passion besides Harry Potter." - How Zoe started designing at the age of 15 and decided to pursue that as a career. "There should be an evolution in your life journey." - Zoe's family believe you will have three careers in your life. How doing something you are passionate about, does good in the world, and being able to make a living at it will build and grow throughout your life leading to multiple career paths. "I couldn't see smiles anymore." - Bringing joy and color to her mask designs and how the pandemic forced her to shift her business model. "Any sale for me is really not about the dollar, it's really about the person." - Use code "welikeyou" for 10% off your order. If you are a healthcare worker or first responder message Happy Goods for a personal discount code good for an entire year. "Life doesn't give up on us." - Zoe's belief that you'll always get opportunities to do what you are passionate about and how she tries to listen the first time. "What you can do is you can love people." - The amazing advice from Zoe's mom given to her at a young age and how that sparked her to bring happiness into people's life and is at the foundation of her business and her life.

In this episode Heather interviews Joel Frauenheim, Principal Program Manager at Microsoft.  Tune-in to hear their conversation on: "The only kilt I ever owned." - Joel's history with Heather and the original Microsoft SharePoint team and his career journey in IT. "I look at her and she has a smirk on her face." - The importance of mentoring and allyship in Joel's career and life. "I reserve the right to be smarter tomorrow." - Joel's journey understanding his privilege and learning from others to continue to grow and how allowing yourself to be vulnerable, while scary, is an integral part of the process.