Shows / Kind of a Big Deal
Kind of a Big Deal
Ever brushed off a compliment? Downplayed a win? Made yourself smaller so you wouldn’t sound like “too much”? Yeah, me too.
Kind of a Big Deal is my love letter to women building careers and lives they’re proud of. This isn’t your typical Fortune 500 CEO interview. Instead, it’s real, relatable conversations with everyday women - corporate baddies, scrappy entrepreneurs, and everyone in between - who are leading lives we can all aspire to.
Through honest stories and hard-earned wisdom, we shine…
Episodes
- Kind of a Big Deal
The Episode I’ve Been Waiting a Year to Make 🥳
Kind of a Big Deal turns one this month, and I’m doing something a little different to mark it. No guest. No interview. Just me, going back through over fifty…
- Kind of a Big Deal
You Don’t Have to Blow Up Your Old Identity to Build Something New
What does it look like to leave a decade-long sales career — not because you burned out, but because you got laid off while pregnant, your husband’s union went…
- Kind of a Big Deal
From the Philippines to the Executive Director’s Chair — One Yes at a Time
What does it look like to build a life of service when you never had a master plan — just a thread you kept following? Rejie grew up on a farm in the…
- Kind of a Big Deal
What Work-Life Integration Actually Looks Like When You're Building Something Big
What does it look like to build an eight-figure company, raise six kids, and still feel like you're actually living? Cherie Hoeger is the co-founder and CEO of…
- Kind of a Big Deal
People First Isn't Just a Value. For This CEO, It's the Whole Strategy
Patty Barahona has spent over 15 years at Youth Leadership Institute — starting as a part-time program coordinator and now serving as CEO of one of…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Impact Doesn't Need to Mean Thousands of People
What does it look like to spend 15 years changing systems from the inside — and then realize the work you're most built for happens one person at a time? Talia…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Not Everything Deserves Your Attention
What does it look like when someone who has spent her entire career solving other people's problems finally realizes she doesn't have to solve all of them?…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Your Story Is Already Yours. You Just Have to Claim It.
What does it look like to spend 20 years building on your own terms, not because you had a plan, but because you kept following what felt right? Toby Myles has…
- Kind of a Big Deal
You Haven't Lost Your Creativity. You've Just Stopped Making Room for It.
Devika started in finance, moved into impact investing, built her first company in London at the intersection of art and social good, and learned some hard…
- Kind of a Big Deal
What does it mean to move at the speed of connection?
What if the restlessness you're feeling at midlife isn't a problem to solve, but a calling you've been too busy to hear? Nevada has spent over 20 years helping…
- Kind of a Big Deal
What if the Certainty You've Been Seeking Is... You?
What does it take to stop outsourcing your sense of safety — to a company, a title, a paycheck — and finally realize it was always coming from inside you? Su…
- Kind of a Big Deal
The Cage Door Is Wide Open. Are You Walking Through It?
What does it actually take to walk away from a very good life... and bet on yourself instead? Helena spent over a decade building her career through boutique…
- Kind of a Big Deal
What Happens When You Stop Being the One Behind the Curtain
There's a version of leadership that never gets a title - the one who reads a hundred pages every weekend so someone else doesn't have to, the one who becomes…
- Kind of a Big Deal
If You're Not At The Table, You're The Meal
Many of us don't think about government until it's already affecting us — and by then, it's too late to have a say in how. This conversation is a wake-up call…
- Kind of a Big Deal
What If Burnout Isn't the Price of Caring This Much?
What does it actually take to stay in mission-driven work for the long haul - not three years, not five, but a whole career? In this conversation, I sit down…
- Kind of a Big Deal
When the Job, the Kids, and the Identity All Hit at Once
What happens when a promotion, a pregnancy, and a full identity reckoning all land in the same year? That's where Misty Avila was when this conversation was…
- Kind of a Big Deal
What If the Voice You've Been Ignoring Is the One You Should Trust Most?
What does it actually look like to build a life around your truest gifts - not because someone gave you permission, but because you finally stopped waiting for…
- Kind of a Big Deal
You Don't Need 20 Years of Experience to Lead with Wisdom
What if the clearest leadership lessons don't come from decades in the corner office, but from paying close attention while you're still early in the climb?…
- Kind of a Big Deal
You Don't Need a Plan to Start Over. You Need Permission to Choose Yourself.
What does it actually take to build a life and a business that are actually yours, not just impressive on paper? Jen Baxter has rebuilt her career three times…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Stop Waiting for a Seat at the Table. Build Your Own Room Instead.
What does it look like to leave a 20-year career not because you have to, but because you finally recognize you're ready? Angeliki is an MD-PhD with 35 years…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Successful Businesses Don't Choose Between Impact and Income
What if you could build a business that refuses to choose between making money and making a difference - and that treats the people you serve like the full…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Women in Tech: Breaking Silos and Scaling
What does it look like to build a career at the intersection of tech, business, and people - and realize, looking back, that it was always going to end up…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Building in Public: What It Takes to Show Up Before You Have It Figured Out
What does it actually look like to build something before anyone is paying attention? Molly started with a personal blog, written to process her own life. For…
- Kind of a Big Deal
The Entrepreneur Who Never Defined Herself That Way
For 25 years, Tamika built something extraordinary. Eight years as lead nail tech at the iconic Claremont Hotel and Spa. Seventeen more running her own salon…
- Kind of a Big Deal
What Happens When You Never Stop Betting on Yourself: Resilience, Reinvention, and a Whole Lot of Heart
Some people's stories stop you in your tracks. Gina's is one of them. She came to the US at 18 from Venezuela with $300 in her pocket, a toddler by her side…
- Kind of a Big Deal
How Showing Up Fully in Leadership Becomes Its Own Definition of Success
Some people move through their careers searching for the thread that connects it all. Genevieve Levy found hers - two weeks before we sat down to record. I've…
- Kind of a Big Deal
When the Work You Love Disappears: Grief, Reinvention, and Learning to Build a Life on Your Terms
What do you do when the organization you've given everything to - the one you helped build from the inside out - is suddenly gone? Nurit Siegel Smith spent 25…
- Kind of a Big Deal
From Achievement Addict to Authentic: Building a Brand (and a Life) from the Inside Out
What happens when you spend decades achieving everything you were supposed to want - only to realize it fits like an itchy sweater? In this episode, I sit down…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Corporate, Startup, Freelance, Founder: How to Build a Creative Career on Your Own Terms
What does it look like to stay completely, unapologetically yourself - across every job, every pivot, every industry? In this episode, I sit down with my…
- Kind of a Big Deal
From Industry Orphan to Entrepreneur: Building a Career on Your Own Terms
What do you do when the career you need doesn't exist yet? In this episode, I sit down with Lindsay Green Barber, founder of Impact Architects - a research and…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Burnout, Starting Over, and Learning to Trust Yourself Again
What happens when the life you built… stops feeling like your own? In this episode, I sit down with Shayne Corriea, who spent over a decade building a…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Storytelling Isn’t Extra - It’s How Impact Happens
What if storytelling isn’t just how you communicate your work - but how you create impact and shape the legacy you leave behind? Join me as I sit down with…
- Kind of a Big Deal
What It Really Means to Lead People Well
What if the most important part of leadership isn’t what you say or do - but how you see people? Join me as I sit down with Jackie Kendricks, Director of…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Leadership, Media, and Why Engagement Matters More Than Ever
“Engagement is the metric of whether people actually care.” Join me as I sit down with Simone Aponte, VP News Director at KTVU, who has spent her career inside…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Why Difficult Conversations Go Wrong - And How to Handle Them Better
What if the biggest factor shaping your leadership isn’t strategy, experience, or authority - but the emotional energy you bring into the room? Join me as I…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Stop Waiting Until You Feel Ready
Join me as I sit down with strategic consultant Kyla Bryant, whose work centers on leadership, workforce development, and helping organizations build…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Curiosity Is a Leadership Strategy
Join me as I sit down with Shonna Shearson, President and CEO of First U.S. Community Credit Union, whose leadership journey is anything but a straight line…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Burnout Is a Signal - Not a Weakness: A More Sustainable Way to Lead
Join me as I sit down with psychologist and leadership development consultant Dr. Christina Pate, whose work explores the intersection of human behavior…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Don’t Rush What’s Next: Why Quiet Seasons Matter
What happens when the company you helped build disappears - and you’re left rebuilding your identity in real time? Join me as I sit down with Michelle Skoor -…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Rebuilding After the Thing You Built Disappears
What would you do if the thing you built your identity around vanished overnight? Join me as I sit down with Channelle Charest - a former executive at a…
- Kind of a Big Deal
The Murky Middle: Navigating What’s Next
What if the pressure to “have a plan” is the very thing keeping you stuck? Join me as I sit down with Celeste Gutierrez - a recent graduate who thought she had…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Organizations Don’t Collaborate - People Do
What if collaboration - not competition - is the key to building systems that actually work? Join me as I sit down with Tiffany Loeffler, Executive Director of…
- Kind of a Big Deal
You Don’t Have to Hate Your Job: Rethinking Work, Leadership & Management
What if hating your job isn’t inevitable — and the problem isn’t you? A conversation about work, leadership, and why people leave managers, not jobs. Join me…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Stop Waiting to Be Picked: How to Say Yes to Yourself and Build Your Business
What if you stopped waiting for opportunities to find you and started creating your own? Join me as I sit down with Tam Smith, founder of Studio 349 and host…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Turn Your Creative Vision Into Lasting Change
What if every system you engage with is just a story someone told - and it's up to you to decide if you want to build a new one? Join me as I sit down with…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Evolve or Dissolve: The Secret to Building a Successful Business
What if the secret to 17 years of success is in staying nimble, and widening the table instead of protecting your seat? Join me as I sit down with Meghan…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Stop Deflecting Compliments: The Power of Actually Accepting Praise
What if accepting a compliment could change your entire leadership trajectory? Join me as I sit down with Gretchen Moore, Executive Director of Women in…
- Kind of a Big Deal
One Person at a Time: Building a Legacy That Matters
What does legacy really mean? For some, it's the ripple effect of lifting others. Join me as I sit down with fundraising expert Marni Mandell, who shares how…
- Kind of a Big Deal
How the Voice in Your Head Can Change Everything
Is your inner voice curious, kind, and supportive when things don't go as planned - or does it sound more like criticism and doubt? Join me as I sit down with…
- Kind of a Big Deal
What If Your Best Work Honors What Came Before?
Join me as I sit down with Dani Bergstrom, founder of Fresnoland, to discuss her journey from urban planner to nonprofit journalism leader. Our conversation…
- Kind of a Big Deal
The One Question That Elevates Leadership
What if the best leadership decisions come from asking "what if it were me?" Join me as I sit down with Laura Harmon, Chief People Officer, to discuss career…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Scared? Do It Anyway!
What if the best career move isn't finding "your one thing" - but taking continuous action even when fear creeps in? Join me as I sit down with Polly Allen…
- Kind of a Big Deal
How to Own Your Impact: Embrace Being a Big Deal
Think you have to be 100% ready to lead? Not so fast. In this episode of Kind of a Big Deal, I chat with Monica Nainsztein - an accomplished entrepreneur and…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Build a Brand That Matters
What if one of your toughest moments leads to the best thing you build? Join me as I sit down with Réland Logan as we discuss her journey to entrepreneurship…
- Kind of a Big Deal
Kind of a Big Deal Trailer
Kind of a Big Deal is a podcast spotlighting women who are building meaningful lives, businesses, and legacies - on their own terms. Hosted by Kristin Belden -…
- Kind of a Big Deal
The Power of the Pause: Redefining Success
What if the next big step in your career isn’t a title - but how you feel when you get there? Join me as I sit down with Glenda Watry to explore the unique…