

Shameless Leadership
Sara Dean
Welcome to Shameless Leadership! This show is for women, transgender people, non-binary folks, and allies who are committed to advancing their leadership and the leadership of those around them. In this space, we believe everyone deserves to feel seen, heard, valued, and supported. Our mission is to help you foster these feelings within your own circles of influence to build trust, psychological safety, and a culture of belonging.In each episode, we dive into essential topics impacting women in leadership - everything from shutting down your inner critic and imposter syndrome to overcoming perfectionism to using your voice in new ways to advocate for yourself, your ideas, and other folks carrying marginalized identities. You'll hear practical tips, effective strategies, and inspiring stories that will not only enhance your leadership skills but also broaden your perspective to become a more confident, thoughtful, and empathetic leader.Our stories come from people carrying identities who are often underrepresented, underestimated, and excluded. By sharing their experiences, we aim to provide you with invaluable lessons that will transform your leadership journey. We are thrilled to have you join this community of Shameless Leaders who are actively creating a world where everyone, regardless of gender, can intentionally lead through a more curious, compassionate, and inclusive lens.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 4, 2019 • 51min
368: Liza Harper: Destigmatizing Divorce
Liza Harper is a Shameless Mom, a divorce coach, and lover of personal growth and meditation who has a passion for helping women breakthrough divorce! She has helped many through coaching and development in the corporate world for over 17 years and now shares these same skills and life experience to help women navigate their divorce and live their new beginning. As a twice-divorced single mom of three, she knows firsthand how scary divorce can be. With the right tools, time, and allowance of love and acceptance of where you are, creating your new beginning is right on the horizon- and she is here to help you get there and Live By your DESIGN.Listen in to hear Liza share:
Her experience of weathering two very different divorces while raising small children
How to navigate the post-divorce learning curve to rebuild a life and define new boundaries
Why you should get excited about forgiveness and the magic behind it
How to navigate co-parenting with a partner who is stuck in a highly emotional, highly reactive space
The evolution of the stigma around divorce and why she completely owns her divorces rather than hiding them
Links Mentioned:
live By Design
Instagram
Work with Liza by emailing her at liza@livebydesign.me and using Shameless Mom in the subject line
Thank you to our sponsors:
Openfit: Join the Openfit 30-day challenge and get a special extended 30-day free trial membership to Openfit when you text SHAMELESS to 303030.
Framebridge: Go to Framebridge and use promo code SHAMELESS you’ll save an additional 15% off your first order.
Best Fiends: Download FREE on the Apple App Store or Google Play.
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Sep 2, 2019 • 37min
367: 3 Back To School Routines You Need Now
September is the new January 1 for moms. Truly.We drop our kids off at school - FINALLY - and instantly have a renewed sense of self (and freedom!!) after a summer of adventure and chaos.So, let’s treat this season appropriately. Let’s hunker down and dig into new habits (or the reintegration of old habits that fell by the wayside over the last 3 months.)Let’s get back to what serves us as women, as leaders, as the CEOs of our lives.Let’s get back to our proactive, planning selves who refuse to spend one more day in the exhausting existence of summer reactivity (please tell me I’m not the only one who got trapped here for a few weeks?!)In today’s episode, I’m going to walk you through 3 powerful exercises that will allow you to take back your time and energy as you transition into a new school year and into the last few months of 2019. We will cover:
How to delegate and reorg family roles so you can stop doing everything
How to integrate weekly family meetings (and the specific protocol my family is using)
How to integrate a simple morning routine that sets your entire day up for success
This is the best time of year to create new routines that serve you and your entire family. Take advantage of this time to learn how to thrive in your daily life.Links mentioned:Download my 15 Minute ManifestThank you to our sponsors:
Third Love: To find the perfect fitting bra and get 15% off your first purchase got to Third Love
Embr: Go to Embr and Save $50 with code SHAMELESS at checkout.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 28, 2019 • 51min
366: Sarah Stevens: The Beautifull Project: The Truth About Fatness and Thin Allies
After leaving a career in corporate healthcare in 2016, Sarah set out to find work that better aligned with her passion and purpose. As co-owner of Black Pearl Coaching and Consulting, she served as a consultant to small businesses and nonprofits. Through this work, she accepted a position as the inaugural Executive Director with Lead(h)er, a nonprofit that connects women with mentors to fuel career and community engagement - a position she still holds to this day. In 2018, Sarah launched The Beautifull Project, an entrepreneurial effort that combined her past professional experience with her commitment to pursuing purposeful work. Using the power of collective storytelling, The Project invites women back to their bodies, encouraging, and supporting them as they learn to use their voice and take up space. When Sarah is not thinking up big ideas for The Project, she is shamelessly momming 3 teens, writing, reading, teaching yoga, and leaning as far as possible into an honest, authentic life.Listen in to hear Sarah share:
Her experience growing up in a body she deemed to be “too big and too much”
Her history of body image battles and disordered eating
How her Beautifull Project was born out of the moment her doctor prescribed her speed and a 600 calorie a day diet for weight loss
Why “being concerned” for a fat person’s health is a discriminatory crutch
How she’s embracing living in a fat body
How to talk to your kids about fatness and fat as a neutral descriptor
Why thin people must be allies for fat people if we want to create space for all women to live safely in their bodies and in their power
Links mentioned:
Connect with Sarah
Facebook: The Beautifull Project
Instagram: @thebeautifullproject and @seeing_sarah
The TED talk
Podcast: Beauti: The Interviews
Thank you to our sponsors:
Embr: Go to Embr and Save $50 with code SHAMELESS at checkout.
Grove Collaborative: For a limited time, my listeners get a free 5-piece cleaning set from Mrs. Meyer’s and Grove - a $30 value! Check out Grove and our special offer at Grove Collaborative.
Lovevery: Save $15 off your Play Kit subscription at Loveveryand use the code SHAMELESS at checkout. Offer good until 10/31.
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Aug 26, 2019 • 44min
365: How I'm Raising An Emotionally Intelligent & Emotionally Capable Son
Recently I’ve spoken out about the crucial importance of cultivating emotional intelligence in young men. The official definition of emotional intelligence is: the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.Historically, men have not been raised to be emotionally intelligent, emotionally capable or emotionally available. Historically, we have largely failed to raise men who can handle interpersonal relationships or relationships with their larger communities judiciously and empathetically. Historically, we have taught men to stuff feelings, dismiss feelings, ignore feelings, and deny feelings. And the consequences are proving to be dire.There are so many horrific outcomes when we have multiple generations of men who are unable to identify their feelings, express their feelings, and relate to other peoples’ feelings. The result of generations of poor emotional intelligence among men is rape culture, diet culture, racism, sexism, men policing women’s bodies, rampant struggles with mental health, the addiction epidemic and so much more that we won’t see the full impact of for years to come.This is disturbing and distressing to say the least. Add to that the numbers and data we’re seeing around mass shootings - largely executed by young, white men - young white men who with known mental health struggles and/or dangerously radical views stemming from a lack of empathy and compassion for others. This is an emotional intelligence crisis.The responsibility of raising an emotionally intelligent young man (a young white man, in my case) in our current landscape is a critical task that cannot be taken lightly. A number of you have asked me how we can do our very best in raising emotionally intelligent young men - and just how I’m facing this responsibility head-on. In this episode, I’ll share the 8 things I’m doing to raise an emotionally intelligent, emotionally capable son. By no means do I think I’m doing it perfectly. But I think I’m getting a few things right and it’s all worth sharing if it helps any of our young men. Thank you to our sponsors:
Talkspace: To match with your perfect therapist for a fraction of the price of traditional therapy, go to Talkspace, Make sure to use the code SHAMELESS to get $65 off your first month and show your support for the show.
Rothy’s: To get free shipping on any order of Rothy’s shoes, as well as free returns, go to Rothy’s and use the code SHAMELESS at checkout.
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Aug 21, 2019 • 54min
364: Darcy Lockman: Mothers, Fathers, and the Myth of Equal Partnership
Darcy Lockman is a journalist turned clinical psychologist and the author of All the Rage: Mothers, Fathers, and the Myth of Equal Partnership (Harper Collins). Her writing has appeared in the New York Times and the Washington Post, among others. Her first book, Brooklyn Zoo, chronicled the year she spent working on the psychiatric ward of a city hospital. She currently practices in New York City, where she lives with her husband and daughters.I have invested a lot of time learning about building equitable relationships in the last year. As someone who likes to take on all. the. things., I know what it’s like to be the doer and the know-er and the gatekeeper of everything in the family. It’s an exhausting, unfair, and unnecessary burden that we can improve - drastically. I couldn’t be more excited to invite you into this conversation with Darcy and me.Listen in to hear Darcy share:
What “good” dads get away with
Societal, multi-generational indoctrination of gender roles - even among progressive couples
The truth about maternal gatekeeping and the potential damage around it
The power of using your anger in adaptive ways to have a more equitable relationship
The research-proven struggles and burdens of the mental load of motherhood, especially in the first 4 years
Strategies to build a more equitable partnership with your partner
Links mentioned:
Connect with Darcy
Book: All The Rage
Twitter: @darcy_lockman
Thank you to our sponsors:
BruMate: Right now, Brumate is giving my/our listeners a special discount of 15% off your first order when you go to www.brumate.com and use our code SHAMELESS, that's BruMate.
Honey: Get Honey for FREE at Honey.
Openfit: Join the Openfit 30-day challenge and get a special extended 30-day free trial membership to Openfit when you text SHAMELESS to 303030.
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Aug 19, 2019 • 39min
363: 8 Ways To Build Persistence and Power
The path to anywhere worth going will be marked with unexpected twists and turns. There will be highs and lows that you can’t imagine - that will push you and pull you and quite possibly bring you to your knees.Because that is the journey of the hero, the warrior, the survivor, the fighter. The journey to anywhere worth going will take strength and tenacity and patience and persistence you didn’t know you had. You will question yourself, your strength, your skills, and your values. You will want to scream. You will want to cry. You will want to quit. But you won’t. You will persist. Because you will remember where you’re going and why it’s imperative you get there. You will remember that when the going gets tough, you do not sit. You PERSIST.Listen in to hear how to build persistence in order to step into your power.Links mentioned:
SMA Ep 28- Be a quitter
SMA Ep 339 - Growth mindset
Book: Mindset by Carol Dweck
Thank you to our sponsors:
Brooklinen: Get 10% off AND free shipping when you use promo code SHAMELESS at Brooklinen.
Native: For 20% off your first purchase, visit Native and use promo code shameless at checkout.
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Aug 14, 2019 • 51min
362: Carol Gavhane: Surviving Secondary Infertility
Carol Gavhane is co-founder of Asha Blooms, a handcrafted purposeful jewelry company dedicated to inspiring and uplifting people.Born out of her walk with secondary infertility, she and her husband created this business once it dawned on them that words and intentions really do matter. Each piece of jewelry is tied to a specific intention, and it’s their vision that others see themselves for who they already are – whole, loved, complete, courageous and renewed.Everything about their first child was fairly typical, but trying to add to the family afterwards was incredibly difficult. During those years, they tried everything under the sun to get or sustain pregnancy - clean eating, support groups, fertility yoga, acupuncture, meditation, negotiations with God, many visits to the fertility clinic, and so on. These services absolutely helped as they provided comfort or bits of positivity, but there were many dark days thrown in the mix.During this journey, Carol found a fertility bracelet that became a beacon of hope, a daily wearable reminder to continue on, which she did for nearly three years. Looking back, Carol credits science, hope, and intention with the creation of baby Henry.I had the opportunity to meet Carol a couple months ago through a colleague and our connection was instant and deep. I relate to so much of her story. I know a lot of other mamas out there are with Carol and me, as well.Listen in to hear Carol share:
What secondary infertility is and how it flipped her life upside down for 3 years
What infertility looks like on the outside vs. the inside of a woman's body and demeanor
How she found hope and comfort in an unlikely place
What inspired her to start a jewelry company and the special meaning behind her work
Links Mentioned:
Connect with Carol and see her gorgeous Asha Blooms jewelry
Asha Blooms on Instagram
Asha Blooms on Facebook
Thank you to our sponsors:
Stamps: Right now, my listeners get a special offer that includes a 4-week trial PLUS free postage AND a digital scale without any long-term commitment. Just go to Stamps, click on the Microphone at the TOP of the homepage and type in SHAMELESS.
Lola: Get organic cotton tampons and other hygiene products delivered right to your door. To get 40% off all subscriptions, go to Lola and use the code SHAMELESS40 at checkout.
Fabfitfun: To get $10 off your first subscription box (making it only $39.99 for $200 worth of products) go to Fabfitfun and use the code SHAMELESS at checkout.
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Aug 12, 2019 • 37min
361: Take Off Your Armor, Put On Your Cape
Are you ready for some truth-telling???It’s time to take off your armor.You deserve to embrace and appreciate all parts of yourself and your story, not just the pretty parts.You deserve to reframe and reset your mindset around the struggles in your life, not settle for constant self-doubt and negative self-talk.You deserve to get curious about who you are and where you want to go in life, not stay the course that is no longer lighting you up.You deserve to grow and expand and become a more positive, powerful, purposeful version of yourself, not shrink in frustration and worry that you'll never get all the things you want.Not only do you deserve all this - you are TRULY CAPABLE of all this.You are capable of embracing all of you and all of your story.You are capable of reframing and resetting your mindset so you can shut down that negative self-talk.You are capable of getting curious about where you want to go in the next 3, 6, 12 months and actually starting to take steps to get yourself there.You are capable of growing and expanding into a more positive, powerful and purposeful version of yourself starting right now.If you're struggling with your identity - who you are, where you've come from, where you want to go - you are not alone. And it's time to take off your armor. The armor that you think is protecting you is actually holding you back from taking action, building momentum, and realizing what you're truly capable of.Here’s what your armor might look like:
keeping people at arm’s length
Laughing when you are hurting instead of speaking up for yourself
Keeping secrets and holding shame around your stories
Playing small out of fear of failure or fear of looking silly
Making others look small in order to feel better about yourself (gossiping about other women, telling other women’s stories, passing judgment on other women’s bodies, choices, success stories)
Staying comfortable and stagnant instead of taking a chance to step into bigger roles/opportunities
Tune into learn 7 steps to take off your armor and put on your cape.Thank you to our sponsors:
care of: For 25% off your first month of personalized care/of vitamins, visit Take CareOf and enter the code SHAMELESS at checkout
Lovevery: Save $15 off your Play Kit subscription at Loveveryand use the code SHAMELESS at checkout. Offer good until 10/31.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 7, 2019 • 46min
360: Chrissy King: Strength, Power and Intersectional Feminism
Chrissy King is a writer, speaker, strength coach, and self-proclaimed truth-teller with a passion for intersectional feminism and creating a diverse and inclusive wellness industry. She has been featured in SELF, SHAPE, BuzzFeed, Muscle and Fitness, and Livestrong, among others. She empowers individuals to stop shrinking, start taking up space and use their energy to create their specific magic in the world. When she’s not serving her clients by empowering them to create stress-free and sustainable lifestyles and feel confident and empowered in their skin, she spends her time lifting all the weights, reading, traveling, and hanging with friends and family.I have wanted to have Chrissy come on the show for some time. I’ve followed her for years online and her messaging always resonates with me. I think this conversation is especially timely given the Monday’s episode about Beyonce’s recent messaging around body image. While I recorded this interview before the Beyonce episode, there are a lot of the same themes and reinforced messaging around the power in protecting and elevating women of all backgrounds, shapes, sizes, orientations.Listen in to hear Chrissy share:
How passion in one area of your life can ignite passion in other areas of your life
What intersectional feminism is and how it pertains to you
Her terrifying move to publish an article titled, “Is Fitness Only For Thin White Women?” - and the response it drew
The importance of noticing inclusion and diversity in ALL spaces - and why you need to call it out when it’s missing (which it usually is)
How to manage your evolving relationship with your body
Links mentioned:Facebook: Chrissy King FitnessInstagram: I Am Chrissy KingTwitter: I Am Chrissy KingThank you to our sponsors:
Embr: Go to Embr and Save $50 with code SHAMELESS at checkout.
Framebridge: Go to Framebridge and use promo code SHAMELESS you’ll save an additional 15% off your first order.
Openfit: Join the Openfit 30-day challenge and get a special extended 30-day free trial membership to Openfit when you text SHAMELESS to 303030.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 5, 2019 • 36min
359: What Happens When You Call Out Beyonce
Last week I called out Beyonce in a social media post. A lot of really interesting lessons and insights came from the ensuing comments and conversation. I thought it was worth dedicating an entire episode to the results of that one social media post because it brought to light:
The difference between shaming someone and holding them accountable
How you can simultaneously be a victim and a perpetrator of diet culture
Why thin women need to protect and elevate plus size women
Why women should be hypersensitive to body shaming and how being dismissive of sizeism compromises women’s power on a global level
How you can appreciate and find tremendous value in someone’s work and leadership while not agreeing with everything they say and stand for
Thank you to our sponsors:
BarkBox: Get a FREE EXTRA MONTH of Barkbox with any 6 or 12-month subscription by visiting BarkBox.
Third Love: To find the perfect fitting bra and get 15% off your first purchase got to Third Love
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