In line with the “Women and Risks” theme from last week’s episodes, today I am joined by the wonderful business and career coach, Sarah Vermunt. Sarah’s journey started while working toward obtaining her Ph.D. in human resources management and organizational behavior. After devoting four years of her life, and investing a lot of money into developing her career, Sarah began to realize that this career choice was not what she dreamed about after all. After spending two years dedicating her time to her previous career dreams, she went on a mission to find the work she loves – being a coach and teacher for entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and new graduates.

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Competition in the workforce over the years has become a “taboo topic.” Many women do not want to talk about having a competitive edge in their field. We keep saying “It’s not about competition, it’s about collaboration.” Ladies, competition is a healthy aspect of building your career and business. It allows us to push ourselves past our comfort zones, and while being open to collaboration is important, having a strong competitive edge is also essential.

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In our last episode, I spoke with internationally best-selling author, Linda Davies. Some interesting points came up in that episode regarding women taking risks and why it’s necessary for career growth and development. In today’s episode, I talk with you about taking risks, and how taking risks can help you “out hustle” your competition. Taking risks is critical to personal, business, and career growth. Without risks, our businesses cannot flourish. So, what are some ways that you can take a risk to continue developing your business or career?

9 Practical Ways to Take Risks in your Life, Business, and Career:

1. Make a career or business shift. Interview people who have your dream job, dream business, or work at your dream organization.
2. Making the commitment to quit your job on a specific date to start a new business.
3. Launching a new product or service
4. Taking time away from your business – perhaps for a vacation, holiday, or personal time.
5. Working with a new mentor.
6. Investing in learning a new skill, or honing a skill that you already have.
7. Applying to be a speaker at an upcoming conference.
8. Raising your hand for a stretch assignment.
9. Introducing yourself to a “key player” at a networking event.

Your ability to mitigate risk is directly linked to your willingness to hustle.” – Eleanor Beaton

My Challenge to You:

• Ask yourself: Is there an opportunity for you to take more risks?
• Ask yourself: What would it mean to you to take a risk that can open the door to more rewards in your life, your business, or your career?
• Take a risk, and lean into the work to out-hustle your competition.

Win a Free Signed Copy of “Longbow Girl.”

How would you like to receive a free, signed copy of Linda Davies’ latest novel, Longbow Girl?

I am excited to announce that Linda has agreed to give away one free copy of her latest book, Longbow Girl to one lucky Fierce Feminine Leadership podcast reviewer!

To participate, head over to iTunes, subscribe to and review the show, then take a picture of your review and email it to fierce@eleanorbeaton.com to enter your name in the contest!

Welcome back, my Fierce Feminine Leaders! I am incredibly excited about today’s episode and our guest on the show today.

Today we talk about women and risks. Many successful women are afraid to take risks in their business or career, but do not realize that taking risks – stepping out of their comfort zone – often leads to personal and professional growth.

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Welcome back, my Fierce Feminine Leaders! If part of your business consists of public speaking or giving public presentations, then this Is an episode you do not want to miss! Today is all about public speaking. Are you making the most of it? Are you ensuring that your message is delivered the way you intend it – strong, powerful, and making a positive impact on your listeners?

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Have you ever felt conflicted in your success? Felt confused, uncertain, or even felt like an imposter? Have you recently made a monumental change only to hear a negative voice in your head saying, “Who do you think you are to do something like this?” Thousands of highly successful women go through these feelings each and every day. They feel like they’re crazy. They feel like a “hot mess.”

Rest assured, my Fierce Feminine Leader – you are not crazy. You are upleveling.

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In today’s episode, I explain to you what it means to uplevel as well as many familiar feelings – or “symptoms” – that women feel during this great transition.

Here’s a Breakdown of Today’s Show:

• What is “upleveling,” anyway?
• You’re not crazy. You’re not an imposter. There are millions of professionals, CEOs feeling the same way you do. It’s called growth – and it hurts.
• Feeling this way is normal.

“The bigger the uplevel – the hotter the mess.”

When you uplevel, you’re thrown into what’s called “Liminal Space.” You’re not the ‘same ol’ you,’ but you’re not quite settled into the ‘new you.’ You’re somewhere in the middle, and learning to step into the new you.

“Darkness, confusion, and uncertainty is the starting point for major growth and transformation. It’s the necessary ingredient for change.”

My Challenge to You:

Stop thinking you’re crazy. Buckle up and enjoy the ride. Step into your brilliance, your power, and enjoy your success.

Exciting News!

I am excited to announce this special, exclusive offer with all you Fierce Feminine Leaders!

Mindy Weinstein, SEO and internet marketing expert and founder of Market Mindshift has agreed to conduct a 1-hour training webinar exclusively for the Fierce Feminine Leadership tribe! This webinar specifically targets women entrepreneurs wanting to learn how to significantly improve their online marketing and SEO strategies.

To register for the webinar, click here.

Subscribe to and Review the Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast for a Chance to Win This Month’s Contest!

At the end of each month, one lucky reviewer will win a free private coaching session with me! Are you feeling lucky? Head on over to iTunes, subscribe to the show and leave your honest feedback to enter your name into the contest!

Mindy Weinstein is the “expert to the experts” when it comes to SEO and internet marketing strategies. She is the President and Founder of the digital marketing firm, Market Mindshift, as well as a digital marketing strategist, public speaker, trainer, and a published author. She has taught dozens of large companies and major brands how to market their online products and services using digital marketing, social media, and SEO strategies. Mindy has had media appearances and has been interviewed and quoted in countless publications including FOX, NBC, ABC, the Huffington Post, and Bloomberg Radio. She has an MBA from Arizona State University and is currently working on her Ph.D. in Psychology with a special focus on technology.

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Ambitious women in business, especially those in high-energy careers, often struggle through many obstacles and dilemmas. Probably one of the most common dilemma that high-achieving women face are those that are internalized – feeling as though you are “not up to snuff” in your career, despite having a glowing resume, awards, or fantastic recommendations. This dilemma is what I call “Ambitious Woman’s Dilemma, and it is the most common condition affecting ambitious, high-achieving women in business.

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In our last episode, I spoke with Joan Michelson of Green Connections Radio. She brought up a fascinating topic about the differences between how women support other women in business compared to the ways men support other people in business. This discussion led me to evaluate how the women within my own network have supported me through various business ventures, as well as how the men in my network have shown their support. One thing that I have found interesting during this evaluation was that women typically demonstrate their support through emotional support while men will often support you through practical support.

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In this episode, I share with you the reasons why many women in business often tend to stick with emotional support, and why they need to step out of their comfort zone, step into their power, and help other women in business through practical support strategies.

Here’s a Breakdown of Today’s Show:

• Women are more likely to offer emotional support to other women in business while men often offer practical support.
• Women need more than just emotional support to help us step into our economic power. We need practical support and access to professional networks.
• One of the main reasons women do not offer practical support to other women is often because they do not realize their power. The first step to stepping into your power is to understand that you have it and realize that your biggest source of power is the relationships you have built.

“Business & success are like a river – they’ve gotta flow. If you treat your success like a pond, it will just get stuck.” – Eleanor Beaton

My Challenge to You:

It’s time to start “walking the talk,” ladies. Continue to offer emotional support to the women in business, but step it up a notch and also offer practical support! Here are two tips that you can use to offer practical support to other women in business:

1. Find ways to make powerful introductions to key business partners, clients, and customers.
2. Identify people in your network that would be a good supplier to someone else, then introduce them.

Subscribe to and Review the Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast for a Chance to Win This Month’s Contest!

At the end of each month, one lucky reviewer will win a free private coaching session with me! Are you feeling lucky? Head on over to iTunes, subscribe to the show and leave your honest feedback to enter your name into the contest!

Today, I am joined by a fabulously fierce feminine leader, advocate for female leaders throughout the corporate and entrepreneurial world, and owner of Green Connections Radio, Joan Michelson. Joan has made a huge impact in the corporate world and helping women “claim their power” in their industries. Her very specific, unique niche in the business community is in the Clean Tech area, also known as the “green space.” She joins us today to share her story about how the “green space” niche fell in her lap and provide some insight and tips to other women in leadership roles on ways they can find their voice within their organization.

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An interesting point was mentioned during my last episode while interviewing Vicki Saunders, the founder of SheEO. She said that women are not asking for help in their businesses – that many women feel they need to do everything on their own in order to be, or feel, successful and accomplished. In reality, though, it is incredibly hard to do everything on your own without asking for help and developing a team.

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In this episode, I want to share some tips with you on five ways you can ask for help, and three ways you can ask in the right way.

5 Ways You Can Ask for Help:

1. Ask for Introductions

• An introduction is a powerful pre-framing technique in terms of positioning and allowing you to gain access to that person’s network.

2. Ask People to Spread the Word Through Their Social Media Networks

• Ninja Move Tip: When asking people to spread the word through their social media platforms, give them an image and some text they can use to promote.

3. Ask for Advice

• A wise woman once said, “When you ask for money, you get advice. When you ask for advice, you get money.”

4. Have a Focus Group or Advisory Board
5. Interview People

3 Tips on How To Ask for Help In the Right Way

1. Be Mindful of a Person’s Time

• Follow the 10-minute rule: “Hey, can we chat for about 10 minutes on the phone? I really need some advice.”

2. Know What You Want

• Having a clear picture of what you want and how it fits into your business’ “bigger picture” will help others help and collaborate with you easier and more efficiently.

3. Have a Beginner’s Mindset

• Maintain a balance between being open to information and closing down the information so you can implement.

“The most dangerous thing that can happen to a leader is that she begins to cut herself off from information” – Eleanor Beaton

Subscribe to and Review the Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast for a Chance to Win this month’s contest!

At the end of each month, one lucky reviewer will win a free private coaching session with me! Are you feeling lucky? Head on over to iTunes, subscribe to the show and leave your honest feedback to enter your name into the contest!

Today, I am joined by award-winning mentor and advisor, entrepreneur, and founder of SheEo, Vicki Saunders. Vicki has incredible experience and insight on what it takes for women to “step into their power,” lead their businesses on their terms, and grow a successful, meaningful career as an entrepreneur or intrapreneur. In today’s episode, she shares some of her insight on leadership and entrepreneurship as well as the “art of disruption.”

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Vicki routinely speaks at conferences and events around the world, including the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Women of Influence Series in Canada, and the TedX Conference among several others. She was selected as a “Global Leader of Tomorrow” by the World Economic Forum and has co-founded and run several ventures throughout Toronto, Silicon Valley, and Europe.

Vicki, thank you for joining me on the show today and sharing your valuable tips, suggestions, and insight.

Here’s a Breakdown of the Topics We Covered:

• Vicki’s “back story” on how she became an entrepreneur.
• Vicki’s tips on how women should deal with the world finally catching up to their innovative ideas.
• SheEo – what is SheEO and what is their mission?
• Ways women can sharpen their entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial skills by identifying and synthesizing problems to find a unique solution.
• Common ways many women entrepreneurs make things harder than they need to be.
• Vicki shares the one important leadership lesson she has learned from her 20+ years with building and growing businesses.
• How and when Vicki stepped into her power.
• What’s up next for Vicki

“Women are an economic powerhouse that haven’t been tapped into before.” – Vicki Saunders

Interesting Statistics Shared:

• 4$ of venture capital goes to women-owned businesses, and this figure has remained unchanged for decades.
• If women were financed at the same degree as men, we would create 6-Million jobs in the next five
• Women are set to inherit 75% of the world’s inherited wealth.
• Women are starting businesses at almost twice the rate as men.
• Women have a buying power of 80-85%

3 Steps Women Can Take to Sharpen Their Entrepreneurial & Intrapreneurial Skills:

1. Be clear about the problem you are trying to solve.
2. Broaden your circles of inspiration.
3. Use that insight to create a model you can use to push you.

Connect with Vicki:

• sheeo.world
• YouTube
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Think Like a SheEo (book) on Amazon

                    An Open Invitation to All You Fierce Feminine Leaders

Are you a coach, consultant, entrepreneur, or service provider wanting to sell your expertise and build your brand? I want to personally invite you to register for my brand new, free training webinar coming up on May 18!

You will learn:

• Three stories you must tell to become a globally recognized expert, attract influential clients, and double your sales in as little as 12-months.
• Exact sales and marketing structures you need to build a multiple 6-figure business.
• Why so many coaches, consultants, and service providers struggle to replace their corporate salaries.

Bonus!

I am going to give you a behind the scenes look at how I earned a fabulous income as a global thought leader from my base in Canada!

One lucky live participant will win a free gift!

To register for my free training webinar “Stories That Sell,” head over to www.eleanorbeaton.com/storiesthatsell

Until next time….

Stay fierce!

Whether you are running a business or running a marathon, high-performance is a critical skill to have in order to “finish the race.” As many of my wonderful listeners already know, I am a huge fan of high-performing women, athletes, entrepreneurs, and business executives. However, throughout my coaching experience, I often see many women that have the potential to be high performers, but somehow fail to unlock that potential – leaving it on the table. Today, I share with you four critical psychological skills that all high-performers must have and master in order to achieve success in life, business, and sports.

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Unless you’re living a high-performance lifestyle in business and life, you are leaving potential on the table.

My Challenge for You:

• Think about what would be possible if you could unlock 15% more potential without creating more time in a day or upgrading your skills.
• Think about what would be possible for humanity if everyone could unlock 15% more of their
• Think about how the whirlwind of your life is affecting your ability to achieve your wildly important goals.

The 4 Critical Psychological Skills of High-Performers:

1. Focus

• Focus to work through the whirlwind.

2. Visualization

• Visualize the “end game” and what steps you need to take to achieve it.

3. Setting Effective Goals

• Drastically narrow your focus down. Set smaller goals to achieve the W.I.G.

4. Dealing with Distractions

• Learn how to say a powerful “no” to stay on track with your vision and goals.

When you unlock your capacity by 10, 15, 20 percent – think about what is going to be possible for your family, the people you love, and humanity as a whole.

Book Recommendation:

I highly recommend checking out Annette Verschuren’s new book, “Bet On Me,” an inspiring book on Annette’s philosophy on what it takes to be a highly successful leader.

To purchase “Bet On Me”

• On Amazon
• On Barnes & Noble
• On Books-A-Million
• On com

An Open Invitation to All You Fierce Feminine Leaders

Are you a coach, consultant, entrepreneur, or service provider wanting to sell your expertise and build your brand? I want to invite you to register for my brand new, free training webinar coming up on May 18!

You will learn:

• The three stories you must tell to become a globally recognized expert, attract influential clients and double your sales in as little as 12-months.
• Exact sales and marketing structures you need to build a multiple 6-figure business
• Why so many coaches, consultants, and service providers struggle to replace their corporate salaries.

Bonus!

I am going to give you a behind the scenes look at how I earned a fabulous income as a global thought leader from my base in Canada!

One lucky live participant will win a free gift!

To register for my free training webinar “Stories That Sell,” head over to www.eleanorbeaton.com/storiesthatsell

Until next time…

Stay fierce!

Welcome back, my Fierce Feminine Leader! Today’s episode, I talk about the number one desire that women who want to lead crave, and how “the approval trap” prevents these amazing women from stepping into their power and achieving this desire.

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Welcome back to the Fierce Feminine Leadership podcast! In today’s episode, I share with you three tips on finding your voice as a Fierce Feminine Leader.

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Your reputation. Your personal brand. Many Fierce Feminine Leaders know they need a personal brand, but they simply don’t know where the starting line is when it comes time to create one. In the business world, you are aware that your reputation often precedes you. Your personal brand can help you leave a lasting, positive impression on a potential client, customer, or business associate – and this is critical for your success.

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So, how do you create a strong personal brand?

In this episode, I am going to share with you 5 critical elements of a strong personal brand.

The 5 Critical Elements of a Strong Personal Brand

1. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Your customers, clients, and business associates are researching you before they make the decision to hire or buy from you. Having a professional, high-quality headshot picture taken by an experienced, professional photographer will help your customers and clients make that decision. They do not want to see a picture of you with your dog playing in your back yard – they want to see a professional quality headshot, an image that will resonate and cause them to remember you the next time they need a service or product that you offer!

Challenge 1: Shell out some cash for a few high-quality, professional headshots.

2. Update Your LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn is a powerful, professional search engine and social networking tool used by thousands of businesses and organizations worldwide. Part of maintaining your public image and reputation relies on maintaining and updating your LinkedIn Profile.

Update your profile picture – remove the pictures of you and your dog (save those for your private Facebook profile!) and upload one of the professional headshot images that you’ve ordered when you completed Challenge 1. While you are updating your LinkedIn profile, also improve your summary and ask for recommendations from people you have worked with.

In the era of online marketing and networking, maintaining a positive online image and reputation is crucial to your chances of success. Part of maintaining your online reputation is building a solid network of people who will happily recommend you to other businesses and clients. Your LinkedIn profile and recommendations from people you have worked with is the perfect first step toward building a positive online reputation.

Challenge 2: Spend time updating your LinkedIn profile – your picture, your summary, and ask for recommendations!

3. Tell Your Origin Story

Stories help people learn more about you and understand why you chose the professional lifestyle that you did. We are hardwired for stories. One of the critical elements of establishing and building your personal brand is your story behind how and why you got started in the work that you do.

Challenge 3: Share your compelling origin story with others – through your website, your LinkedIn profile, or other professional networks.

4. Your Elevator Pitch

Many Fierce Feminine Leaders have powerful elevator pitches that help them tell their story and share their services with potential clients and customers. Elevator pitches are a 30-second pitch that explains who you are, what you do, and how you can help. It helps keep you memorable and magnetic to your clients and customers!

Challenge 4: Create a powerful, memorable elevator pitch! Get creative!

5. Have a Signature Piece

Presenting yourself in a consistent fashion can help your brand consistency. It can help you position yourself and your brand in a memorable way with your clients, customers, and business associates. Brand consistency is incredibly important for every professional, and developing a signature piece can help!

What do I mean by a “signature piece?”

Think of Steve Jobs with his black turtlenecks or, my personal favorite, Anna Winter with her oversized sunglasses. These signature pieces incorporated into their wardrobe have helped them establish and promote their brands, products, and services time and again.

Challenge 5: Develop your personal signature piece.

Thank you for tuning into the Fierce Feminine Leadership podcast!

Until next time…

Stay Fierce!

Do you ever catch yourself comparing yourself to other successful people, and feeling frustrated and discouraged that your achievements are coming up short compared to someone else’s? Many – if not most high achieving professional women experience this phenomenon. It’s called “Compare and Despair” and it has reached monumental proportions since the development of the Facebook highlight reel.

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Are You A Tall Poppy

Tall Poppy Syndrome, what is it? It is a social phenomenon throughout the industry, often affecting women – but sometimes men, too – in which great people of merit are criticized or resented because of their achievements. Tall Poppies often “play small” because they are worried that they will be criticized for showing up in the world as brilliantly as they really are. The term, “Tall Poppy Syndrome” was coined by New Zealand Researchers, and many women in business unconsciously allow it to affect their business growth. In this episode, I explain three ways that Tall Poppy Syndrome is preventing you from stepping into your power as a female leader.

3 Ways Tall Poppy Syndrome is Preventing You from Being a Powerful Female Leader

1. Tall Poppy Syndrome makes you self-conscious

• Research shows that self-consciousness inhibits high performance.

2. Tall Poppy Syndrome can hold you back from accepting high-profile assignments

• Own your brilliance!

3. Tall Poppy Syndrome can prevent you from building a powerful personal brand

• Tall Poppies often hold back from highlighting their achievements.

Takeaway:

If you are a Tall Poppy, know that you are not alone!

For tips to overcome Tall Poppy Syndrome, download the Checklist Tip Sheet below. http://www.eleanorbeatonpodcast.com/13

Getting The Seat On The Board

Women make up about 50 percent of the workforce today, but did you know that only a small percentage of these working moms hold a seat on the Board of an organization? It’s true, and what many women in business may not realize is the significant impact that holding a seat on the board of a non-profit or corporate organization can have – on their own businesses as well as the organizations they support. Today on the Fierce Feminine Podcast, I share three power ninja moves that you can do to help you get a board seat!

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

1. How to Prove Your Medal

• Quantify Everything
• List your top 10 career highlights.

2. Boost Your Financial Knowledge

• Take time to learn how to read financial statements.

3. Build Your Network

• Invest time into building a solid network and make it known that you are interested in a board position.
• Download the worksheet below. This powerful tool will help you create your career highlights list, as well as help you translate that information into business results.

Women are often more willing to give credit where credit is due, but they struggle to claim credit for their successes. If you want to land a board position, you need to highlight your accomplishments; be proud of what you have achieved, and share them with the members of the board that you want to help!

It’s okay to tell yourself – and others – “I did this, and I’m proud of it!”

The Monster That Is Working Mom Guilt

Welcome back to the Fierce Feminine Podcast! On today’s episode, I will discuss the “dirty little secret” of working mothers: Working Mom Guilt. Working Mom Guilt has a nasty habit of reaching virtually every working mother. I have worked with dozens of working mothers; every single one of them have expressed, at one point or another, that they have experienced Working Mom Guilt at some point in their career. So, today I will share some tips with you on ways you can cope with the monster of Working Mom Guilt.

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Your network truly is your network…but too many women aren’t networking strategically. In this episode, Eleanor Beaton shares the 3 types of people every women leader needs in her network.

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While women make up half the workforce and are starting businesses faster than ever, too few of us make it to senior leadership roles in big business. In today’s episode Catalyst CEO Deborah Gillis shares insights from her rise to the top.

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Cancer survivor, mother of three, speaker, internationally recognized entrepreneur Kelsey Ramsden shares the incredible story of how she built an 8-figure business in a male dominated industry AND how we faced the biggest fight of her life.

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Internationally-recognized online entrepreneurial expert Ali Brown literally invented the online blueprint for success. Then she listened to her heart and re-focused on supporting high achieving women entrepreneurs. She shares her story with Eleanor in this episode of Fierce Feminine Leadership.

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For women who want to lead in business, building a powerful network isn’t enough. We must learn how to leverage our networks in order to create opportunities, advance our careers and grow our businesses. In this episode Eleanor shares practical tips for monetizing your network.

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Learning how to network with powerful people is critical for women in leadership. In this episode, Eleanor shares a set of simple, powerful tools to help you build a powerful network filled with heavy hitters who will got to bat for you.

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