Bio for Emily McKie:  Emily has coached sports for 10 years using an exploratory facilitation and athlete-centred coaching style, and is currently working with the U18 female program at Dandenong Stingrays as a development coach in the semi elite pathway. Emily created and managed what is now one of the biggest female junior football leagues in Victoria, Australia - the Eastern Region Girls Football League. She has used sport to go around the world - either playing, coaching, or running Auskick clinics in France, Sweden, Amsterdam, Germany, and Belgium.   Notable Episode Quotes: “If you understand why you’re doing something, how you do it will come… If you can sell it and do it with conviction, you’re set." - Emily McKie   “A mentoring relationship is not sycophantic. You don’t have to agree and slavishly follow everything, however, it gives you that perspective – those different perspectives." -Michelle Redfern   “One of the myths I want to bust [around mentoring] is that you have to form this bosom buddies, symbiotic, chemistry laden, 25 year relationship that’s just going to be amazing… It won’t always be like that. Sometimes it’s short and sharp and mutually beneficial..” -Michelle Redfern Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Lead to Soar, we answer questions from you - our listeners! This episode's questions cover career progress obstacles, recognition, supporting diversity at work, and handling tricky feedback a superior. Leave your own questions to be answered on a future episode at LeadToSoar.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Bio: Wendy Hanson is the co-founder and COO of BetterManager. At Better Manager, Wendy and her team believe that Managers are the single most important factor in employee engagement and happiness. The employee-manager relationship determines up to 70% of an employee's engagement. And, engaged employees are the key to company performance. Companies with highly engaged teams outperform peers by 147% in earnings per share. To create effective and lasting change, companies need to invest in a solution that is adaptive, responsive and meets the needs of all managers. That’s where BetterManager comes in. BetterManager executive coaches provide cost-effective, personalized guidance that any manager can benefit. The BetterManager team facilitates through a combination of Coaching, Workshops and Technology. Wendy joined Michelle today to talk about her personal journey from employee, to her first side hustle, to leadership and entrepreneurship. They explore how anyone can take their entrepreneurial spirit and apply it to becoming an "intreprerneur" inside their organization.    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Bio: Kerry Ashbrook is an entrepreneur, business women, inspirational speaker, author, corporate executive and investor. Kerry is the founder of Life You Choose, where she supports women in achieving financial independence and to live the life they would truly choose. Kerry has subject matter expertise that extends across business strategy, customer service, sales & marketing, information technology, enterprise transformation and program management, business architecture, retail and courier operations as well as corporate sourcing and supply chain. Kerry is the author of: A Life Reinvented  ~ Disclaimer: In providing this podcast, no leaders or members of A Career that Soars!, nor producers of Lead to Soar, nor Lead to Soar guests, nor Michelle Redfern, nor Susan Colantuono, nor Mel Butcher are acting as a certified financial planner, advisor, a certified financial analyst, an economist, CPA, accountant or lawyer. Neither A Career that Soars! nor Lead to Soar make any recommendations as to any specific securities or investments. All content is for informational and general purposes only and does not constitute financial, accounting, or legal advice. You should consult your own tax, legal, and financial advisors regarding your particular situation. Neither A Career that Soars! nor Lead to Soar, nor Susan Colantuono, nor Michelle Redfern, nor Mel Butcher accepts any responsibility for loss which may arise from accessing or reliance on information from within this podcast. And to the fullest extent permitted by law, we exclude all liability for loss or damages, direct or indirect, arising from the use of the information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Bio: Libby Mears is the CEO of Leisure Networks and over the past 8 years has driven transformative change, significantly extending the reach and impact of the organization. Libby is well-known for her passion for enabling a high performing and positive culture and has built a highly regarded community organisation and leading provider of disability services. Leisure Networks’ team of passionate people are driven by the organisational mission of connecting people to community to build inclusive, health promoting places, and enabling people of all abilities to direct their own lives.   In addition to her role at Leisure Networks, Libby is deeply committed to making a broader leadership contribution and for eight years was a local council and Mayor of the surf Coast shire. Libby is currently Chair of the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority and GForce Employment Services.     Notable Quotes “You are worth being invested in.” - Libby Mears  “As women, we often just pull our sleeves up and get on with the job. But there is something about being able to stand up, stand in front of people and really own what you’ve achieved. And that’s empowering with other women...” -Libby Mears “Take confidence in what you’ve achieved.” - Libby Mears “Relationships matter... Invest and put into building relationships...” -Libby Mears “The privilege of leadership is very powerful.  And amplifying others, shining a light, creating a better world... these are all important things." -Libby Mears   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On episode 19 of Lead to Soar, Susan Colantuono, Michelle Redfern, and Mel Butcher sit down for a discussion on confidence... What is confidence? Where does confidence come from? How do you get it? Where does traditional advice on confidence go wrong? LINKSBook: What the CEO Want You To Know by Ram CharanBook: No Ceiling, No Walls by Susan Colantuono SPEAKER BIOs Susan Colantuono has made it her life’s mission to support the career success of women.  She is the Founder of and now retired CEO of Leading Women, an international management consulting company focused on bringing gender balance to leadership teams. She is globally known for her TED Talk on The Career Advice You Probably Didn't Get (now with over 4 million views). ​Recognizing that many women around the globe do not have access to the leadership and career development resources they need in order to advance, Susan envisioned that a global network of aspiring women could fill such a gap. She embarked on the journey to form Lead to Soar, and joined forces with Michelle Redfern to bring it to life. Susan is also the author of two internationally acclaimed books: No Ceiling, No Walls: what women haven’t been told about leadership and Make the Most of Mentoring. -- Michelle Redfern is the co-founder of Lead to Soar and host of the Lead to Soar podcast. Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on equality, inclusion and gender diversity. She is co-founder of social enterprise CDW (Culturally Diverse Women and Workforces). Everything Michelle does is grounded in her personal mission and purpose to contribute to creating a gender equal world. -- Mel Butcher is a co-host in Lead to Soar and executive producer and host of the Lead to Soar podcast. During the day, Mel serves as an independent consultant, where she is most passionate about helping corporate enterprise clients achieve and exceed their water risk, resilience, and sustainability goals. ​ NOTABLE EPISODE QUOTES “Confidence is not absolute.” -Susan Colantuono “Go beyond the headline. Go deeper. And think about - what does the CEO really want you to know...  The CEO really wants you to know about being confident about how to run the business. Then ask yourself, is the advice you're getting about confidence really going to help you do that?" - Michelle Redfern  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Be Known and Strategic Networks Matter  Florence restarted her career (late) after she worked out she needed to do something more with her life.  She took a risk, began a job in mining (because it paid well) and then worked out that this could take her and her community places. Florence values a mindset of abundance, giving with open arms, and this along with her growing network and influence to be in service of her community (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island women) meant she formed IWIMRA. She was determined to create better, more sustainable outcomes and part of that was forming a strategic network for indigenous women in mining and resources.   Just get going, be known and always show up. Know how your internal compass is guiding you, align your activities to your values and keep actively learning about what matters.    Notable Quotes  “Show up.”  “Trust your internal compass.”  “Align things to your values  - your family, your culture.”  “Flex that network... Be known. Be proactive to be known.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

About Nina Patil:  Patil started career as a social worker. She became involved in business through her marriage, and is now a successful 26 year tenured CEO. Patil experienced a rocky start in business, but she was open to learning and really valued having a mentor to help her close her gaps, particularly around numbers (she was terrified of numbers) – she also strategically networked to learn about the business of the business. Patil took charge of her professional development by getting involved in different learning opportunities and strategic networking activities.    Nina Patil has achieved and sustained extraordinary outcomes including: Environmental outcomes for farmers by using unconventional ideas to farm more naturally Women's empowerment - for women to own land and also helping women become economically empowered. She challenged the system to empower women who had little financial literacy or agency over their finances, work, and lives.     Notable Episode Quotes  “There is so much to give and so much to share. Give with open arms and you definitely receive the same.” -NP   “We tend to make excuses for ourselves – oh but this happened and that happened...   Let’s just get going. Embrace life with both your hands.” -NP  “I think the future is woman.”  -NP  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Bio: Laura Ryan BA (Hons), MSc, DipM MCIM  Laura has a First-Class Honours in Marketing and a Masters in Management and has also achieved Chartered Marketer status via the Chartered Institute of Marketing.  Laura joined the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) in 2007 after successfully launching premium beef & lamb brands within a large butchery business in the North East of England. Working her way through the ranks she was appointed as Sector Strategy Director for Beef & Lamb Board in 2015.She led the strategic review and development for the Beef & Lamb sector in England by identifying key challenges and opportunities which deliver long term growth. Last year Laura successfully launched Lavenpark, her own consultancy business which is working with levy boards, government and commercial companies to achieve greater success through improved industry insight, connectivity, business development, marketing, and communications. Laura is the founder and global Chair of Meat Business Women which launched in 2015. It has recently been recognized by the United Nations with Laura presenting on the contribution Meat Business Women makes to the global Sustainable Development Goals.    Link Meat Business Women   Episode Quotes On Strategy -- “Don’t let folks tell you that it’s more complicated than that. Understand, do the research, understand where you are now, what’s the ambition, what’s the macro-environmental impact, what are your competitors doing, get the research, get the data, and then map out a road map.” - Laura Ryan   “Strategic networking is essentially about generosity and reciprocity, but we have to invest time in it. And [we’re] debunking the myth that your networking is turning up to conferences or after work functions with mediocre wine and dreadful canapes... It’s genuine care, but also having that strategic intent. And being able to say – this is where I want to be able have an impact in my industry, my sector, wherever it may be.” -Michelle Redfern   "I think the networking piece is really important... investing in your network, in your personal board.”  - Laura Ryan   “Be brave and push yourself outside your comfort zone.” - Laura Ryan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest bio: Julie Escobar is a sharpened international market-driven leader and international business woman. She has driven the achievement of tremendous sales goals - from $20M to $50M in 3 years. Escobar is co-founder of Global Women Fresh, an organization whose mission is to leverage the talent of Women in produce to close the food industry’s gender divide by inspiring, connecting, and empowering women around the world. Episode Quotes “To go where you really want to go, you have to put the hours, you have to put the energy, the investment – financial and non-financial – and ultimately that takes determination, right? I mean you have to have determination, you have to be incredibly intentional about what your goals and your dreams are.” - Julie Escobar “Rock the boat. Ask difficult questions.” - Julie Escobar  “Hope is not a strategy.” - Michelle Redfern “You need to understand how the company is making money. And when you are comfortable articulating – how does the company make money and how do you add value to that equation – and you can articulate that well in front of anyone... then I think that’s ultimately when you become someone critical in the equation.” - Julie Escobar  “The advice given to women is so rarely around developing your business, strategic, and financial acumen. It’s so rarely about how to harness and point your ambition in the right way. It’s so rarely about unleashing their potential. It’s so often about their appearance. It’s so often about work-life balance. It’s so often about the very gendered things...” - Michelle Redfern “Absolutely, it is important to hit the numbers, and to hit the revenue and the profits, but at the same time it Is incredibly important to bring the team and to have an environment and a culture that you are supporting and empowering and mentoring the people behind you. Because if not, then it doesn’t really work. The company can be making millions and billions of dollars, but if everyone hates coming to work, it’s a nightmare for everyone”. - Julie Escobar  “Putting your head down and your bottom up doing really good work is OK. But you need to also build those internal and external relationships.” - Michelle Redfern Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Lead to Soar, we hear and answer questions from you - our listeners! This episode's questions cover career growth, asking for a promotion and raise, paid mentorship/coaching, and recognizing bad bosses in interviews. Leave your own questions to be answered on a future episode at LeadToSoar.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Bio: Libby Lyons was appointed Director of Australia's Workplace Gender Equality Agency in 2015. She oversees the process that gathers gender equality data from over 10,000 employers, covering more than 4 million employees. In leading the Agency, Libby is focused on working closely with employers to achieve gender equality. Soon after her appointment, Libby initiated the development of a strategic plan aimed at maximizing the Agency’s world-leading dataset and expanding the reach and impact of gender reporting nationally and internationally. As part of this strategic vision, Libby presented at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in 2018 and 2019. Libby was listed in Apolitical’s 100 Most Influential People Working in Gender Policy for both 2018 and 2019. She is a member of Chief Executive Women and an Ambassador for Honour a Woman. Prior to joining the Agency, Libby had a distinguished career in corporate affairs and government relations, including senior roles at BHP’s Olympic Dam, Alcoa of Australia, the Western Power Corporation, and Telstra. Learn more: WGEA   Notable Episode Quotes: “You know, government is no different to business. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money.” -LL  “I will only ever be as good at my job as those that work with me, those that put the wind under my wings. So, we have to look out for how we can help move them on and help progress their careers.” -LL “If I know that there is a particular issue that has to be addressed, and it’s coming up in a meeting, and I know that my view is probably contrary or my thoughts or contrary to the majority or particularly the leader.... I’ll caucus. I’ll go out and individually start talking to the different people that are going to be at the table and talk to them and tell them what I think and caucus to try to get that support and say to them, “will you support me in tis. If you don’t I’ll bring it up anyway, but it would be great to have some support around the table.” -LL  “The one thing that I think we all need to work really hard on, as women, is: supporting other women. I still see, much to my disappointment, many senior women... who are not supportive of other women. Who still have that attitude of – I had to do it tough, you can too." -LL Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Heather Polinsky is an environmental consulting professional with over 20 years of experience. She started her career working as a civilian project manager for the US Army Environmental Command. She found herself in consulting not too long later, and has had a wonderful career trajectory that's taken her from Project Management, through Program Management, Client Development, and now a leader of leaders in Operations. In this episode of the Lead to Soar Podcast, Heather reflects on some of the ways mentors have helped her most, the best career advice she's ever received, and how she has developed The Missing 33% (business strategic and financial acumen) throughout her career. Heather was recently appointed as the Chief Operating Officer of Arcadis North America, which has a staff of ~6,000 professionals. Learn more about Arcadis by visiting Arcadis.com   Notable Quotes from Heather Polinsky: On advice for professionals growing in leadership: "Really make sure that you're willing to ask questions, and the second part is - trust your team... We're all at the table because of something we offer that's unique... and if you've built a good team, it's designed that way. So use it!" "You have to understand what your picture looks like and be happy with your picture. Don't spend your days comparing yourself to other people, other families, other pictures. Because they might not be the same, but it's OK..." "My message is: go for it now. If you think in a year you'll be ready, you're probably ready now."   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Karen Catlin bio: After spending 25 years building software products and serving as a vice president of engineering at Macromedia and Adobe, Karen Catlin witnessed a sharp decline in the number of women working in tech. Frustrated but galvanized, she knew it was time to switch gears. Today, Karen is an acclaimed author and speaker on inclusive workplaces. She is the author of three books: "Better Allies: Everyday Actions to Create Inclusive, Engaging Workplaces," "The Better Allies Approach to Hiring,” and "Present! A Techie's Guide to Public Speaking."    “We all need to build our network *before we need it…” -Karen Catlin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Susan Colantuono has made it her life’s mission to support the career success of women.  She is the Founder of and now retired CEO of Leading Women, an international management consulting company focused on bringing gender balance to leadership teams. She is globally known for her TED Talk on The Career Advice You Probably Didn't Get (now with over 4 million views). Recognizing that many women around the globe do not have access to the leadership and career development resources they need in order to advance, Susan envisioned that a global network of aspiring women could fill such a gap. She embarked on the journey to form Lead to Soar and joined forces with Michelle Redfern to bring it to life.​Susan is also the author of two internationally acclaimed books: No Ceiling, No Walls: what women haven’t been told about leadership and Make the Most of Mentoring which takes a close look at the conventional wisdom keeping women from rising from middle management.Michelle Redfern is the co-founder of Lead to Soar She is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on equality, inclusion and gender diversity.​ Everything Michelle does is grounded in her personal mission and purpose to contribute to creating a gender-equal world. She wants her son and daughter, nieces and nephews to inhabit a world where women and girls are valued and respected and equal. She wants them to live in a world where every human, no matter how they identify, can reach their full potential. ~On this episode of Lead to Soar, Susan interviews Michelle and they have a deep discussion on their experiences in mentorship, and the meaning and importance of distinguishing CAKE versus PIE mentoring. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

​On this episode of Lead to Soar, Mel Butcher interviews Michelle about Mentoring 101. What is mentoring? How does one mentor effectively? How can you be an amazing protege?LinksBook LinksMake the Most of Mentoring by Susan ColantuonoNo Ceiling, No Walls by Susan ColantuonoAre You My Mother by P.D. Eastman Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lead to Soar provides actionable advice for ambitious career women working their way up inside public and private organizations. On this episode, co-founders of A Career that Soars!, Susan Colantuono & Michelle Redfern, join Mel Butcher (ACtS! co-host and Lead to Soar producer) to share reflections one 2020 - the good and bad. And then, the ACtS! give some insight into what's ahead for the organization and podcast, welcoming 2021... Lead to Soar is a production of A Career That Soars! L2S is hosted by Michelle Redfern and executive produced by Mel Butcher. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lead to Soar provides actionable advice for ambitious career women working their way up inside public and private organizations. On this episode, Lisa Alexander, professional sports coach, joins us to discuss what it means to lead in business and sport. Lead to Soar is a production of A Career That Soars! (ACtS!) It is hosted by Michelle Redfern and executive produced by Mel Butcher. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lead to Soar provides actionable advice for ambitious career women working their way up inside public and private organizations. On this episode, ACtS! co-founder, Michelle Redfern, interviews water/wastewater engineer and consultant, Laurel Rowse. An important theme of their discussion is positive self talk. Lead to Soar is a production of A Career That Soars! (ACtS!) It is hosted by Michelle Redfern and executive produced by Mel Butcher Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lead to Soar provides actionable advice for ambitious career women working their way up inside public and private organizations. On this episode, co-founder Michelle Redfern, discusses what the leadership mindset looks like at different carer stages and the difference between conventional and strategic career advice for women. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lead to Soar provides actionable advice for ambitious career women working their way up inside public and private organizations. Who is Michelle Redfern? On this episode, Mel Butcher interviews A Career that Soars! (ACtS!) co-founder, Michelle Redfern, about her life and career, setting the stage for future discussion on career ambition and advice. Lead to Soar is a production of ACtS! It is hosted by Michelle Redfern and executive produced by Mel Butcher Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lead to Soar shares actionable advice for ambitious career women working their way up inside public and private organizations. On this episode, ACtS! co-founders Susan Colantuono interviews Anne Mulcahy, former CEO of XEROX. Anne became the CEO of XEROX during an extremely tumultuous financial period for the company; under her leadership, the company avoided bankruptcy  and led their revenue back to a positive trajectory. Lead to Soar is a production of A Career That Soars! (ACtS!) It is hosted by Michelle Redfern and executive produced by Mel Butcher Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.