

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

Aug 13, 2018 • 33min
257: 6 Ways To Build A Champion Mindset
Mindset is everything. It can make you and it can break you. When it comes to winning at life, you have to do a lot of mindset work. It’s the only way to see your gifts, appreciate your gifts, and fully utilize your gifts. A mindset reset can help you find joy and success in the most difficult of situations. A champion mindset keeps you resilient and powerful at all times. If you think about the people around you who are winning at life – you can probably see that they do indeed have a champion mindset. In this episode, I’m going to share with you how you can have a champion mindset through 6 steps:
Relentless pursuit and focus
Putting on blinders
Protecting your headspace (get rid of crabs)
Taking radical responsibility for reprogramming self-limiting beliefs
Viewing everything as practice
Staying in motion/momentum
Links Mentioned:
Free ebook: 15 Minute Manifest
Book: You Are a Badass At Making Money
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Aug 8, 2018 • 1h 2min
256: RB Fast: The Advocacy Path
RB Fast is a leadership coach for schools and nonprofits based in Denver, CO. She travels the globe facilitating workshops and retreats focused on team building, strategy, and leadership growth. From large conferences to private boardrooms, RB shows up as a partner and guide for every client. When she isn't helping organizations realize their big vision, she's probably in her garden and kitchen preparing delicious food for the people she loves, including her beloved husband, Steve, daughter, Mia or snuggling her fur babies, Moe and Dexter. RB started her journey into motherhood as a full time student and bartender who could only afford to take 9 days of maternity leave. 9 days. The journey inspired her to take conscientious action to create a more powerful life. Today, she is very thoughtful and intentional in how she weaves social justice and advocacy into her parenting and her professional work with non-profits. Listen in to hear RB share:
The value of creating your own beautiful space
Her 9-day maternity leave and the postpartum depression that followed
What life was like working as a bartender until 3:30 am and being a full-time student with a newborn baby
How she started a business by making a list of her skills and posting it to Facebook
Survival vs perfectionism – and why survival mode is way more productive and perfectionism might be a luxury you can’t afford
The importance of learning and listening to others stories/experience/perspectives
The advocacy path learning/questioning/action
Links Mentioned:
SMA Ep 234: Megan Flatt: How to Own Your Mama Advantage
Connect with RB: Beeline Consulting
Resource: Nonprofit Board Health Checkup
RB on Twitter
RB on Instagram
Website: Vote Smart
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Aug 6, 2018 • 42min
255: My Home Birth Expectations vs. Reality
It’s easy for us to underestimate our own power. Giving birth is the single most powerful a woman can do. I chose to do it unmedicated. I don’t think this is necessarily the best way, but it’s the way I chose. And my low-risk pregnancy allowed me to do this at home. I learned through my home birth experience that I can do really hard things. That said, I would not opt for another unmedicated birth. It’s interesting how experience can change our perspective, isn’t it? This is the story of Vinnie’s birth and my maddening realization that sometimes the only way out is through.Thank you to our sponsors:
Care.com: Save 30% off your Care.com Premium Membership by going to Shameless Mom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 1, 2018 • 58min
254: Christine McAlister: Building A Life With Passion
Christine McAlister is an entrepreneur, business coach and the author of The Income Replacement Formula: Seven Simple Steps To Doing What You Love And Making Six Figures From Anywhere.An expert on turning tragedy into triumph, she founded her company, Life With Passion, after the full-term stillbirth of her first daughter, Maeve.She's been featured in Inc., Business Insider, The Huffington Post, and the Entrepreneurs On Fire podcast. Christine helps high-achievers all over the world to quit and stay out of their 9-5s, by building businesses out of their passions.Christine and her husband and 2-year old "rainbow baby" Fiora live with their 2 rescue dogs, near their Arabian horses, in Louisville, Kentucky.I wanted to have Christine on the show to talk about her traumatic story of loss and how she found herself a completely new person a few years later. We talk about how motherhood changes us forever, especially in the face of loss and trauma.Christine’s passion and energy are infectious. It is so clear that she has built the life that is best for her passions and she’s obviously very talented when it comes to helping others do the same!Listen in to hear Christine share:
How she endured the loss of her daughter, Mauve, and the lessons learned from her trauma
Why she left a successful business to build something new
Why she believes, “when the mindset is strong, the strategy is simple.”
How to identify your passions and determine if you should (or shouldn’t!) build a business around them
The 7 steps of a freedom based lifestyle
Links Mentioned:
Get a free chapter of Christine’s book: Life With Passion
Get Christine’s book: The Income Replacement Formula
Join Christine’s private Facebook group
Christine on Instagram
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Jul 30, 2018 • 40min
253: 6 Tiny Tweaks To Improve Productivity
I’m going to be a little controversial here and tell you that if you feel you don’t have enough time in your day, it’s your own fault. I don’t say this because I doubt you are super busy. I know you have a lot of balls in the air. I totally get it. But I also know that the constant overwhelm of busyness is usually due to two things:
Taking on too many things and not being clear on what you need to say no to
Poor planning/use of the precious time you have
I don’t say any of this to point fingers or place blame, as I don’t think I’ve ever met a mom who didn’t struggle with this. So, I promise, we are all in this together.How about we get serious about owning out time and feeling in control of our days, shall we?Listen in as I give you 6 proven tiny tweaks to help you better manage your day and increase your productivity. Warning: the implementation of any one of these tweaks will ease your overwhelm tremendously. Be prepared to feel lighter and more free almost immediately.Links Mentioned:
Shameless Mom Momentum Mamas Wait List
Podcast: Online Marketing Made Easy With Amy Porterfield
Product Recommendation: Panda Planner
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Jul 25, 2018 • 53min
252: Beryl Young: Finding Your Creative Self After Motherhood
Beryl Young is a Shameless Mom to her 8-year-old daughter, as well as the founder of Recapture Self and creator of Momtography® photography classes. Inspired by Beryl’s traumatic entrance into motherhood, Momtography® began in 2011 in the DC Metro Area as a creative business experiment. Over the past 7 years, Momtography® has expanded to include an online learning experience and local classes across the US taught by licensed teachers in 12 cities. Beryl calls herself a creative coach who grants women permission to seek an identity beyond motherhood using creativity as a tool for living a bigger, bolder, more meaningful life.Beryl is a highly inspired and creative woman who will motivate you to seek new creative pathways for sure. I had so much fun chatting with her and I’m pretty sure she will spark something in you as well.It can be very challenging to find creative outlets when you are managing the overwhelm and necessary nitty-gritty of motherhood. Beryl is going to teach you how to start digging into creative spaces in simple and fun ways. Listen in to hear Beryl share:
The value of living in integrity personally and professionally
How family planning and trauma changed her professional direction
How to use The 100 Steps Project to initiate creativity
How you can communicate with your partner to get more time to pursue your interest
Life hacks to get creative and stop over thinking everything
How to stay wildly creative and also be successful as an entrepreneur
How getting tattooed and dying her hair helped her thrive with anxiety
Links Mentioned:
Connect with Beryl: Recapture Self
SMA Ep 234: Megan Flatt: How to Own Your Mama Advantage
SMA Ep 200: Gretchen Rubin: The Four Tendencies
Beryl’s Free Photo Challenge
Beryl on Instagram
Beryl on Facebook
Thank you to our sponsors:PlanetBox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 23, 2018 • 40min
251: Managing Deceit
Last month, we found ourselves in the middle of a string of traumatic lies at the hands of someone we trusted on the most vulnerable level. Managing that kind of deceit was overwhelming. It took some time to figure out how to move forward.When someone breaks your trust in a big way, it’s easy for your mind to go to dark places. It’s easy to give into fear. It’s easy to make up stories in your head that do not serve you.In this episode, I’ll share how someone deceived my family and our community. I’ll also share how I managed this situation. As someone who can’t even handle being told a white lie, this was a tough situation for me. But I learned how to not make it about me and how to move on, even feeling some compassion for the person who caused so much harm.I’m sharing this episode in hopes it will help others who have been deceived on any level and might be struggling to process the deceit and move forward.Links Mentioned:Join the Momentum Mamas Wait List: Shameless Mom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 18, 2018 • 1h 6min
250: Lauren Golden: The Free Mama Movement
Lauren Golden is a Shameless Mom to 3 kids and loves helping mamas free themselves from the 9-5 grind. She launched The Free Mama Movement to show working moms that they don’t have to choose between family and financial stability. Hundreds of families today are happier and more fulfilled thanks to Lauren and her online programs. Whether you’re a single mom, a military mom, or a mom in a two-parent family who doesn’t want to sacrifice your time with your babies in order to provide for them, Lauren wants you to know that you don’t have to.Today, as the fearless leader of The Free Mama Movement and a thriving community of over 3,500 women, Lauren is passionate about showing other moms how to start and run a successful freelancing business from home. In her upcoming book, she shares her own story — along with plenty of practical advice for anyone looking to leave the 9-5 behind and make a real living from home. Lauren has amazing energy and I knew within moments of starting this interview that we would have some magical synergy. I am so excited to introduce you to Lauren, her story and her work!Listen in to hear Lauren share:
How a traumatic loss changed her life and made her quickly quit her job
How she went about “crafting” the life she really wanted
Her belief in the “have-it-all” lifestyle
The negative impact of business building on a marriage
Why “busy” is a dirty word
How to cut your responsibilities in half
Links Mentioned:
Connect with Lauren: The Free Mama Movement
Lauren on Facebook
Lauren’s free Free Mama Movement Facebook group
Lauren on Instagram
Thank you to our sponsors:
Canidae: We talk about families, and your pet is an important part of your family and they deserve the best. Go to Canidae to try CANIDAE for free by requesting a free sample and get other special offers!
care of: For 25% off your first month of personalized care/of vitamins, visit Take Care of and enter the code SHAMELESS at checkout.
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Jul 16, 2018 • 47min
249: Sara Dean: Kick Your Imposter Syndrome To The Curb
Everyone struggles with Imposter Syndrome. EVERYONE.Over the last year or so I have been noticing how prevalent Imposter Syndrome is among some of the most successful people I know. It has become abundantly clear that we all struggle with feeling worthy. So, now that I’ve confirmed that this is a problem for you, lol, I’m going to talk to you about how to manage it.Listen in to hear me share:
What Imposter Syndrome is and how it might be impacting your life
The time I saw Macklemore struggle with Imposter Syndrome
How I see the women over apologizing, minimizing, and giving away their self-worth
The negative feedback loop that keeps you stuck in Imposter Syndrome mindset
3 ways you can stop shrinking
6 ways to improve your confidence in less than 10 minutes a day
5 ongoing practices that will help you overcome Imposter Syndrome
Links Mentioned:SMA Episode 149: Stop Saying SorryThank you to our sponsors:
Canvas People: To get a FREE 11x14 canvas print (just pay shipping) of any of your photos, text SHAMELESS to 484848.
Daily Harvest: To get 3 FREE cups/smoothies in your first order, go to Daily Harvest and enter the code SHAMELESS at checkout.
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Jul 11, 2018 • 55min
248: Danny J: Saved By The Daughter She Placed For Adoption (Part 2)
Please Note: This is Part 2 of Danny-J’s story. If you didn’t listen to Episode 246 last week, go back and listen to that first!Danny-J is an award-winning entrepreneur, coach, podcast host, and storyteller. As the former founder of The Sweaty Betties, an online fitness community, Danny-J discovered the most effective method for capturing attention and increasing revenue—sharing personal and brand stories. Danny-J's work can be heard in her weekly podcast, The Best Life Podcast and can be followed in real time on all the social media platforms.As a real-life example of "Truth is Stranger than Fiction" she uses her real "Jerry Springer Life" stories to engage with her audience, teaches life lessons and inspires others to rewrite their stories. Danny-J now teaches innovative brands and influencers to close more sales, become better leaders and blow up their brands with the irresistible power of sharing. She also helps tens of thousands of families become debt-free by sharing her real life getting out of debt story and challenge #FindTheMoneyProject.I have been following Danny on social media for a while now. When I learned she gave up a baby for adoption as a teen mom, I asked her to come on the show to be interviewed as a Shameless Mom. Danny’s story is filled with trauma and heartache, but it ends in triumph and so much love and joy that she could never have anticipated as a young desperate and clinically depressed young woman. In this interview, we dive deep into Danny’s childhood, which was deeply impacted by her family’s religion, sexual abuse at the hands of her cousin, learning her biological father was a sperm donor, a serious eating disorder, depression with ongoing suicidal ideation, and a pregnancy at age 15 that ultimately saved her life. Listen in to hear Danny share:
How having a baby at 16 saved her from her eating disorder, depression and suicidal thoughts
How giving up her baby actually gave her life purpose again
How her grown daughter coached her on meeting her sperm donor bio dad last year
How opening all the doors in her biological family relationships has improved all her relationships with her parents
Why she is a Shameless Mom even though she didn’t raise her daughter
Links Mentioned:
Connect with Danny: Danny J
Danny’s podcast with Jill Coleman: The Best Life Podcast(Episodes 18 and 19 are her adoption story and her interview with her daughter)
The Best Life Podcast on Instagram
Danny J on Instagram
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