Speak Your Mind Unapologetically Podcast

Two Ways to Fail: Give Up or Die." How Sigma Software CEO Katherine Tuluzova Built a Foreign Office, Completed a Half Ironman, and Learned to Lead on One Rule "There are only two ways to fail: give up or die. And neither is a reasonable option." That is the saying Katherine Tuluzova's team uses to remind themselves who they are. She means it literally. When she was trying to open Sigma Software Group's first Latin American office, she tried recruiting agencies, acquisition targets, universities, and different countries for an entire year. Nothing worked. Then in a brainstorming session, someone mentioned speaking at a developer conference. She found one in Brazil, submitted a paper, got accepted to one of the most selective conferences in the region, went, fell in love with the community, and pivoted the entire Latin American strategy to Brazil on the spot. Then she went back to the same conference the following year and gave her talk in Portuguese. She had submitted the paper in December, in Portuguese, with a translator. The conference was in March. She did not speak Portuguese. She had three months to learn. Katherine Tuluzova rose from junior software developer to CEO of Sigma Software Group Americas in 16 years. In this episode, she is completely direct about how she actually did it — not as a philosophy, but as a series of specific situations where she refused to stop. You'll learn: How she spent a year hitting walls trying to open a Latin American office, the random brainstorming idea that changed everything, and why resolve in the goal combined with total flexibility in the approach is what finally broke through. Why she submitted a conference paper in a language she couldn't speak, learned Portuguese in three months with 15 minutes a day of consistent practice, and used the speech itself to encourage Brazilian engineers not to be afraid of making mistakes in English. The grandmother she is named after: a high-level judge described by everyone as tough, smart, and fair. Never nice or sweet. And why Katherine wants to invoke strong opinions rather than be universally liked. Why she believes being perceived as aggressive is an acceptable trade-off for being decisive and authentic — and where she draws the line between assertive and actually offensive. Her father's career advice that drives her decisiveness: "A wrong direction is better than no direction." Make the call, correct fast, keep moving. What she learned from completing a Half Ironman — 1.2 miles of swimming, 56 miles on a bike, then a half marathon. She was terrified of the bike, had crashes, had scars, genuinely questioned whether to continue. She finished. She signed up for another one. How she managed a solo transatlantic flight from Barcelona to Dallas with a one-year-old and a not-yet-three-year-old by accepting beforehand that it would be horrible — and why pre-accepting the struggle removes the frustration when it arrives. The two tools she uses when doubt sets in: reminding herself of hard things she has already done, and surrounding herself with people who will do the same reminding when she can't. About Katherine Tuluzova: CEO of Sigma Software Group Americas, Katherine rose from junior software developer to CEO in 16 years. She leads the Americas expansion for a global software company originally founded in Eastern Europe, including building the company's Brazilian office from the ground up. She is also a Half Ironman finisher and a Portuguese speaker. Connect with Katherine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-tuluzova/

When a new business leader walked in and told Malvika Jhangiani they were going to restructure the entire segment — 60% of company revenue — in a room with just the two of them, no leaks, no one else in the room, she didn't say no. She said: "I hear you. And here's how we get to the same outcome with the right people involved." Six months after implementation, he came back and told her it was the right call. That's the ABC method — Acknowledge, Build, Challenge — and it's the framework Malvika has built her career on. As VP HR, Learning & Development at Newell Brands, she's spent years figuring out how to challenge senior leaders without triggering defensiveness, manage rooms full of type A executives without losing the thread, and find genuine joy in the conversations most people dread. In this episode, she gets specific about all of it. You'll learn: The ABC method for challenging leaders without coming across as aggressive, and the Project Panther restructure story that proves it works How she handled a client in Oman at 24 who kept making inappropriate comments — alone, in a foreign country, with a relationship and additional business on the line, and still won the next assignment The "be brief, be bright, be gone" framework for capturing and keeping the attention of type A executives in high-stakes meetings How she gamified a full-day leadership talent review to keep a competitive senior team engaged, and still got all the work done Why leading with facts instead of emotion is the only way to challenge the status quo without losing credibility Her personal technique for staying calm when everything is tense: painting, choosing to laugh, and the line about "not my circus, not my monkeys, but I do know some of the clowns" If you work with strong-willed leaders, navigate difficult conversations across cultures, or just want to bring more effectiveness, and more joy, into the hardest parts of your job, this episode delivers. About Malvika Jhangiani: Vice President HR, Learning & Development at Newell Brands, Malvika has led organizational transformation, talent strategy, and cross-cultural teams across global markets. Originally from India, she has built her career navigating high-stakes leadership conversations across cultures, industries, and executive levels. Connect with Malvika on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/malvika-jhangiani/ She Was 24, Alone With a Difficult Client in Oman. What She Figured Out Built Her Entire Leadership Playbook.

She watched a brilliant female CEO — strategic, skilled, accomplished — get pushed out of her company. And in that moment, Alejandra Torchia had a realization that changed how she thinks about her entire career: if it can happen to her, it can happen to any of us. A job title is the most fragile kind of power there is. The only power that can't be taken away is the one you build inside yourself. Alejandra is SVP of Technology, Global Infrastructure Solutions at Equifax, leading teams across multiple countries and continents. She also runs "I Am Remarkable" workshops — originally a Google initiative — helping professionals, especially women and underrepresented groups, learn to celebrate their own achievements out loud. She did not always find this easy. Growing up in Argentina, where the culture does not reward self-promotion the way the U.S. does, she spent years assuming her work would speak for itself. It didn't. In this episode, she shares what she learned late, by her own admission, and what she now teaches others from the start. You'll learn: Why waiting for others to recognize your achievements is a trap, and the mindset shift that breaks it The story of how she walked into a job interview at 22 with no experience and got hired on boldness and a single honest promise Why she left a well-paying job that supported her family to escape bias, and how she made that decision The difference between title-based power and internal power, and why only one of them survives a corporate restructure The single biggest leadership gap she sees across cultures, levels, and industries, and it's not what most leaders focus on How values contain ambition and keep influence from crossing into manipulation The practical system she teaches for tracking and sharing your own achievements before you forget them If you've been doing great work and waiting for someone to notice, this episode reframes that habit entirely. About Alejandra Torchia: SVP of Technology, Global Infrastructure Solutions at Equifax, Alejandra leads infrastructure teams across the globe. Originally from Buenos Aires, she moved to the U.S. seven years ago. She is an advisory board member of WATT (Women Advancing Technology Together) at Equifax, a board member of the Start House Foundation, an active facilitator of the I Am Remarkable initiative, and a member of Women in Technology (WIT) Atlanta. Connect with Alejandra on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandra-torchia-001954 Stop Waiting to Be Recognized: How Equifax SVP Alejandra Torchia Learned to Promote Herself — and Why You Need To

Sixteen years later, she still tells this story. She was called into the office of a 6'4" senior executive she barely knew. He sat with his back to the door and said: "You will either make me a very happy man or a very unhappy man." Something in her snapped. She replied: "I was always told I'm not responsible for how other people feel." He slowly turned his chair around with a smile on his face. That one moment became the foundation of a decade-long mentorship. Melissa Dill is Executive Director and Chief Privacy Officer at Kodiak Solutions, and she's spent her career learning, sometimes the hard way, what it actually means to hold onto your personal power when the professional stakes are high. In this episode, she breaks down the real moments that tested her, and the specific tools she built to handle them. You'll learn: What "giving away your personal power" actually means, and how to catch yourself doing it before it costs you What Melissa said to a senior executive that instantly shifted how he saw her, and why most people would have responded the opposite way How she handled a new boss who made every conversation feel like an interrogation, and the scripting technique that got her through it without losing her composure or her job Why a mentor told her "if you're going to swim with sharks, you need to thicken your skin", and what that actually means for women moving into senior leadership How to stop taking feedback personally when your whole identity has been built around being the A student The self-awareness practice that tells you when to speak up and when holding back is the smarter move If you've ever left a difficult conversation beating yourself up, questioning your own judgment, or wondering why you didn't say what you meant, this episode gives you the tools to stop that pattern. About Melissa Dill: Executive Director and Chief Privacy Officer at Kodiak Solutions, Melissa brings decades of experience in technology and healthcare leadership. She is an active mentor to early-career women in tech and a champion of honest, values-driven leadership. Connect with Melissa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-dill-5b55874 How to Reclaim Your Personal Power When Authority Figures Try to Diminish You (with Melissa Dill)

She was called polarizing. She cried in meetings. She was written off as "the rookie." Then she spent 30 years rising through Oracle and Microsoft to become a Global Customer Success Leader for the Americas. Wendy Delmolino didn't wait to feel confident. She built the skills to project authority even when she didn't. In this episode, Wendy breaks down exactly how she did it, including the practical strategies she used to manage emotional responses at work, shake off damaging labels, and position herself for opportunities most people never even get invited to. You'll learn: A concrete technique to stop tears in the moment and stay composed under pressure How to identify the labels that cap your career, and what to actually do about them Why being heard at work isn't about speaking louder, it's about being in the right rooms When to be the one speaking up, and when letting someone else take the lead is the smarter power move How casual networking leads to the sponsors and mentors that actually accelerate careers If you've ever been dismissed, mislabeled, or felt like your emotions were working against you at work, this episode is your playbook. About Wendy Delmolino: Retired after a 30-year career in Washington-area tech, Wendy served as Microsoft's Global Customer Success Leader for the Americas and VP of Customer Success at Oracle, where she led teams responsible for half of Oracle's North American Cloud Technology customers. She's a longtime advocate for diversity in tech and an active mentor through Girls in Technology (GIT). Connect with Wendy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendydelmolino/

Mary Hope McQuiston grew up learning not to make waves, not to get emotional, not to rock the boat. Those lessons followed her into the boardroom. When a male colleague made a sexist comment during a high-stakes presentation, she said nothing. She couldn't even bring herself to tell her husband that night. The shame of her own silence was that heavy. That moment became the turning point. Today, Mary Hope is VP and General Manager of Autodesk's Education Business, a business she helped scale from 5 million to over 235 million users. She's learned not just to speak up for herself, but to build teams and accountability systems where silence doesn't get to win. In this episode, she gets specific about how. You'll learn: The societal conditioning that trains women to suppress their voice, and the values-based trigger that finally broke through it How to hold cross-functional peers accountable when they nod along but never follow through, and the system that actually works Why she fired a trusted high-performing manager not for misconduct, but for failing to surface a toxic situation in his team, and what that decision cost her What a "listening tour" looks like when you're the one who needs to hear, not speak . The Billie Jean King moment she watched at age 6 that became her earliest model for speaking up when the stakes are real If you've ever stayed quiet and paid for it later or led a team where silence was quietly doing damage this episode is your playbook. About Mary Hope McQuiston: VP and General Manager of Autodesk's Education Business, Mary Hope co-founded Autodesk's consumer and 3D printing business in 2010 and helped scale its user base from 5 million to over 235 million users in four years. She serves on the SkillsUSA board of directors and is a longtime advocate for women's advancement, LGBTQ+ rights, and equal access to education. Connect with Mary Hope on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mhmcquiston/

Find out the real reason difficult conversations feel so hard at work, and how our mindset hurts our conversations and relationships. This episode gives you four internal switches you can flip in real time, so that you can have calm authority to fix conversations that go sideways. You'll discover what confident communicators do differently in difficult conversations. Because you don't need to say the perfect thing. You just need to stay stable enough to say something useful in that moment so that you can keep your influence. You'll learn how to: Stop taking pushback personally and stay detached under pressure Regulate your emotions so you don't interrupt, over-explain, or get defensive Bring clarity to conversations that feel messy or overwhelming Keep progress happening when discussions get tense, repetitive, or uncomfortable If you want to: Handle difficult conversations at work with confidence Respond to pushback without shutting down or getting reactive Increase your influence with managers, peers, or senior leaders Speak up clearly, even when situations aren't perfect …this episode will give you a practical internal system you can use immediately. 🎧 Listen now and learn how calm, clear communication moves decisions forward. 🎁 Free Resource: Download the 30 Power Shifts Guide — a free, practical cheat sheet with real-life "weak vs. powerful" word swaps for meetings, presentations, and everyday conversations. Replace soft, hesitant phrases with powerful, natural ones. Speak with clarity, conviction, and calm authority. Be heard without apology. 👉 Get your free guide here: https://assertiveway.aweb.page/30power ✅ Free Newsletter: https://assertiveway.com/newsletter/ ✅ Take the Quiz 'Do You Speak Like a High-Impact Leader?': https://myassertiveway.outgrow.us/highimpactleader ✅ Listen on the Speak Your Mind Unapologetically podcast on Apple Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speak-your-mind-unapologetically-podcast/id1623647915 ✅ Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6L1myPkiJXYf5SGrublYz2 ✅ Order our book, 'Unapologetic Voice: 101 Real-World Strategies for Brave Self Advocacy & Bold Leadership' where each strategy is also a real story: https://www.amazon.com/Unapologetic-Voice-Real-World-Strategies-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0CW2X4WWL/ ✅ Follow the show host, Ivna Curi, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivna-curi-mba-67083b2/ ✅ Request A Customized Workshop For Your Team And Company: http://assertiveway.com/workshops Contact me: info@assertiveway.com or ivnacuri@assertiveway.com Contact me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivna-curi-mba-67083b2

A new year doesn't require a long list of aspirational, feel-good goals. It requires the right specific goals — especially when it comes to speaking up at work. In this first episode of the year, you'll reframe goal-setting for speaking up at work — away from vague intentions like "be more confident" and toward specific, observable communication behaviors that actually change your impact, credibility, and influence at work. In this episode, we cover: Why most speaking up goals fail by February The difference between wanting to speak up and deciding when and how to speak up Three practical assertive communication goals you can set for the new year: What to say more of What to say less of What to say earlier — not perfectly You don't have to change who you are, become fearless, or extroverted. If speaking up at work, self-advocacy, and career advancement matter to you this year, this episode will help you start with clarity instead of pressure. 00:00 Speaking Up Goals That Actually Work 04:28 Understanding Situational Responses 05:40 Don't Wait To Feel Ready, Instead Plan Your Speaking Up Moments 06:48 Speaking Up When You're Not Confident, Not Extroverted, Not Fearless 09:35 Specific Speak Up Goals 10:48 What Will You Say More? 24:58 What to Say Less Of 32:12 Speaking Up Earlier 38:05 Conclusion 🎁 Free Resource: Download the 30 Power Shifts Guide — a free, practical cheat sheet with real-life "weak vs. powerful" word swaps for meetings, presentations, and everyday conversations. Replace soft, hesitant phrases with powerful, natural ones. Speak with clarity, conviction, and calm authority. Be heard without apology. 👉 Get your free guide here: https://assertiveway.aweb.page/30power ✅ Free Newsletter: https://assertiveway.com/newsletter/ ✅ Take the Quiz 'Do You Speak Like a High-Impact Leader?': https://myassertiveway.outgrow.us/highimpactleader ✅ Listen on the Speak Your Mind Unapologetically podcast on Apple Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speak-your-mind-unapologetically-podcast/id1623647915 ✅ Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6L1myPkiJXYf5SGrublYz2 ✅ Order our book, 'Unapologetic Voice: 101 Real-World Strategies for Brave Self Advocacy & Bold Leadership' where each strategy is also a real story: https://www.amazon.com/Unapologetic-Voice-Real-World-Strategies-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0CW2X4WWL/ ✅ Follow the show host, Ivna Curi, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivna-curi-mba-67083b2/ ✅ Request A Customized Workshop For Your Team And Company: http://assertiveway.com/workshops Contact me: info@assertiveway.com or ivnacuri@assertiveway.com Contact me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivna-curi-mba-67083b2

As we navigate the holiday season, setting boundaries can be challenging. Find out how to respond confidently to intrusive questions and requests without guilt or drama. Learn why boundaries are hard to set during the holidays and discover effective strategies to assert your needs while maintaining relationships. From common boundary mistakes to real-life examples, this episode offers practical tips to help you protect your energy and priorities, enhancing both personal and professional interactions. Tune in to develop the skills to speak up with confidence and authenticity. Happy holidays! 00:00 Introduction: Navigating Holiday Boundaries 00:52 Why Setting Boundaries is Challenging During Holidays 08:56 Common Boundary Mistakes and How to Avoid Them 12:52 Effective Communication for Firm and Warm Boundaries 13:56 Handling Pushback on Your Boundaries 16:12 Conclusion: Strengthening Your Unapologetic Voice 🎁 Free Resource: Download the 30 Power Shifts Guide — a free, practical cheat sheet with real-life "weak vs. powerful" word swaps for meetings, presentations, and everyday conversations. Replace soft, hesitant phrases with powerful, natural ones. Speak with clarity, conviction, and calm authority. Be heard without apology. 👉 Get your free guide here: https://assertiveway.aweb.page/30power ✅ Free Newsletter: https://assertiveway.com/newsletter/ ✅ Take the Quiz 'Do You Speak Like a High-Impact Leader?': https://myassertiveway.outgrow.us/highimpactleader ✅ Listen on the Speak Your Mind Unapologetically podcast on Apple Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speak-your-mind-unapologetically-podcast/id1623647915 ✅ Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6L1myPkiJXYf5SGrublYz2 ✅ Order our book, 'Unapologetic Voice: 101 Real-World Strategies for Brave Self Advocacy & Bold Leadership' where each strategy is also a real story: https://www.amazon.com/Unapologetic-Voice-Real-World-Strategies-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0CW2X4WWL/ ✅ Follow the show host, Ivna Curi, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivna-curi-mba-67083b2/ ✅ Request A Customized Workshop For Your Team And Company: http://assertiveway.com/workshops Contact me: info@assertiveway.com or ivnacuri@assertiveway.com Contact me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivna-curi-mba-67083b2

If you've ever felt like you're the one holding everything together at work — following up, reminding, double-checking, fixing last-minute mistakes, and caring more about the outcome than everyone else — this episode is for you. Because you shouldn't have to sacrifice your time, your sanity, or your career reputation just to compensate for other people's lack of follow-through. And you also shouldn't have to choose between: staying silent and doing it all yourself or speaking up and being labeled "difficult," "demanding," or "not a team player." There's a better way, and it starts with assertive accountability. You'll learn: why holding others accountable feels so uncomfortable how to stop chasing and reminding without sounding controlling how to protect your boundaries without damaging relationships how to speak up early (before resentment builds) how to get colleagues and partners to follow through, without nagging or apologizing We'll walk through 10 accountability conversations you can use with anyone you work with peers, project partners, cross-functional teams, even leaders to get results while maintaining respect and likability. If you want to be known as someone who is reliable, respected, and not walked over, this episode will give you the exact language and confidence to make it happen. 🎁 Free Resource: Download the 30 Power Shifts Guide — a free, practical cheat sheet with real-life "weak vs. powerful" word swaps for meetings, presentations, and everyday conversations. Replace soft, hesitant phrases with powerful, natural ones. Speak with clarity, conviction, and calm authority. Be heard without apology. 👉 Get your free guide here: https://assertiveway.aweb.page/30power ✅ Free Newsletter: https://assertiveway.com/newsletter/ ✅ Take the Quiz 'Do You Speak Like a High-Impact Leader?': https://myassertiveway.outgrow.us/highimpactleader ✅ Listen on the Speak Your Mind Unapologetically podcast on Apple Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speak-your-mind-unapologetically-podcast/id1623647915 ✅ Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6L1myPkiJXYf5SGrublYz2 ✅ Order our book, 'Unapologetic Voice: 101 Real-World Strategies for Brave Self Advocacy & Bold Leadership' where each strategy is also a real story: https://www.amazon.com/Unapologetic-Voice-Real-World-Strategies-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0CW2X4WWL/ ✅ Follow the show host, Ivna Curi, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivna-curi-mba-67083b2/ ✅ Request A Customized Workshop For Your Team And Company: http://assertiveway.com/workshops Contact me: info@assertiveway.com or ivnacuri@assertiveway.com Contact me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivna-curi-mba-67083b2