Lead to Soar: Career Advice and Guidance for Women + Guidance for Leaders Who Want to Make Workplaces Work for Women

In this follow-up episode, Michelle and Renata Bernade, host of The Job Hunting Podcast, tackle the other side of the equation—job hunting. For job seekers, the holiday season can be a nerve-wracking time, but Renata offers insights and strategies to stay proactive, avoid burnout, and prepare for success when the market picks up.Topics include:• Navigating the anxiety of job hunting during the quieter holiday season.• Crafting your personal narrative for holiday gatherings and professional networking.• Why LinkedIn optimization is critical for being found by recruiters.• Using downtime to reflect, strategize, and strengthen your career assets.• The importance of taking a break to recharge and avoid burnout.Key Takeaways:1. Prepare your narrative: Be ready to confidently answer, “What are you up to?” at holiday gatherings.2. Leverage LinkedIn: Optimize your profile to ensure recruiters find you for the roles you want.3. Reflect and strategize: Use the slower holiday season to assess your strengths and career goals.4. Take a break: Job hunting is emotionally taxing—allow yourself time to recharge.Links & Resources:• Renata's LinkedIn Audit Services: https://www.renatabernarde.com/linkedin/• The Job Hunting Podcast: https://www.thejobhuntingpodcast.com/podcast• Lead to Soar Network: https://leadtosoar.network/landingFinal Thought:Renata reminds listeners, “You will find a job. Take this time to focus on yourself, recharge, and set yourself up for success in the new year.”Lead to Soar is a multi-platform resource for ambitious women on a leadership journey and for organisations serious about closing the leadership gender gap.We support women and organisations in 5 ways;The Lead to Network: https://leadtosoar.network/landingThe Lead to Soar Podcast: https://shows.acast.com/lead-to-soarThe Lead to Soar Summit: https://www.leadtosoar.com/summitWomen’s Leadership Programs: https://www.michelleredfern.com/advancing-women-in-business-sportDEI Consulting & Advisory: https://www.michelleredfern.com/consulting

In this episode of Lead to Soar, Michelle welcomes back friend of the pod, Renata Bernarde to discuss hiring from the manager’s perspective.Does the thought of hiring fill you with joy or dread? They explore this question because managers tell us that hiring often feels like a burden.  Topics include:• Why hiring feels like a chore for many leaders.• Common pitfalls in hiring practices, including rushing decisions or hiring for “ghost jobs.”• Strategies to make hiring purposeful and aligned with organizational goals.• The importance of skills matrices, workforce planning, and building intentional hiring processes.• How job descriptions can attract a diverse pool of candidates by moving away from unrealistic “unicorn” expectations.Key Takeaways:1. Plan ahead: Workforce planning and clear job descriptions are essential to hiring effectively.2. Train hiring managers: Equip them with tools and strategies to align hiring with strategic goals.3. Focus on strengths: Hire for skills and cultural fit, rather than ticking off an unrealistic checklist.Links & Resources:• Contact Renata: https://www.thejobhuntingpodcast.com/contact• The Job Hunting Podcast: https://www.thejobhuntingpodcast.com/podcastLead to Soar is a multi-platform resource for ambitious women on a leadership journey and for organisations serious about closing the leadership gender gap.We support women and organisations in 5 ways;The Lead to Network: https://leadtosoar.network/landingThe Lead to Soar Podcast: https://shows.acast.com/lead-to-soarThe Lead to Soar Summit: https://www.leadtosoar.com/summitWomen’s Leadership Programs: https://www.michelleredfern.com/advancing-women-in-business-sportDEI Consulting & Advisory: https://www.michelleredfern.com/consulting

Michelle Redfern is joined by Lisa Saunders and Natalie Moore from Own Your Health Collective to explore how workplaces can better support women through perimenopause and menopause, pivotal life stages impacting women at the peak of their careers. Together, they address the often-taboo subject of menopause, highlighting the need for awareness, education, and supportive policies to ensure that women can continue to thrive professionally during these changes. Lisa and Natalie share actionable insights for both organizational leaders and individuals to foster inclusive environments, reduce stigma, and introduce practical solutions that make a difference for women's health and well-being at work.Episode HighlightsMenopause in the Workplace  - Roughly one in five women consider leaving their job due to menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes, brain fog, and fatigue.Normalizing Menopause Conversations  - The conversation around menopause is currently where mental health awareness was a decade ago—leaders must build an open culture to reduce stigma.  - Natalie emphasizes introducing “menopause vocabulary” in the workplace to increase understanding and normalize discussions about women’s health.Impacts on Mental and Physical Health  - Beyond physical symptoms, menopause often brings cognitive and emotional challenges, like anxiety, depression, and brain fog, which can affect work performance and confidence.  - Supporting women through perimenopause and menopause contributes to healthier, more engaged employees and retains valuable leadership experience within companies.Practical Ways Leaders Can Offer Support  - Embrace flexibility in work hours, hybrid work, and options for part-time adjustments when symptoms are especially challenging.  - Introduce menopause awareness training for managers to equip them with the language and empathy needed to support affected employees.  - Implement workplace policies, such as health leave for menopause, to alleviate the pressure on women to “push through” symptoms without adequate support.Breaking Down Stigmas and Biases  - Michelle shares personal experiences of reluctance to discuss menopause and emphasizes the importance of visible role models to normalize the conversation.  - Lisa and Natalie note that while many women feel uncomfortable discussing menopause, it is often a colleague or manager showing empathy that encourages them to seek support and open up.Leadership Call to ActionEducate Yourself and Your Team:   - Encourage company-wide learning sessions about menopause to introduce inclusive language and destigmatize the topic.   - Train managers specifically on recognizing symptoms, creating open dialogue, and offering support to women who may be struggling with symptoms.Be a Role Model and Normalize Menopause Discussions:   - Women leaders can play a pivotal role by speaking openly about menopause experiences to pave the way for younger generations.   - Encourage leaders to leverage existing frameworks like mental health awareness initiatives, using familiar concepts to open conversations on menopause as well.Resources- Own Your Health Collective: https://ownyourhealthco.com.au- Own Your Health Collective: https://www.linkedin.com/company/own-your-health-collective/posts/?feedView=all- Podcast: Perimenopause Power: https://omny.fm/shows/peri-menopause-power 

In this episode, Michelle Redfern is joined by Susan Colantuono, founder of Be Business Savvy and co-founder of the Lead to Soar Network, to discuss the transformative coaching approaches needed to support women’s advancement into senior leadership. This conversation focuses on how managers, mentors, and coaches can go beyond traditional coaching frameworks to build their own business acumen—and effectively coach women on these skills. By developing these critical coaching capabilities, we can bridge the leadership gender gap and elevate women leaders to new heights.Key Topics Discussed:• Transformative Coaching for Women Leaders: Michelle and Susan explore why standard coaching methods, often centered on Emotional Intelligence (EQ), fall short in preparing women for executive roles. They emphasize the need to integrate Business Intelligence (BQ) into coaching strategies, equipping women with essential business, financial, and strategic skills.• The Missing Thirty-Three Percent: Susan shares her concept of the Missing Thirty-Three Percent—the skills gap in business, financial, and strategic acumen that women often face. This gap, left unaddressed, limits women’s advancement to senior positions. She urges coaches and mentors to prioritize building BQ to help women become recognized as invaluable business partners.• Practical Coaching Approaches to BQ: Susan and Michelle outline actionable coaching techniques that managers, mentors, and coaches can adopt to help women develop and showcase business acumen. They discuss the value of guiding women to interpret financial metrics, contribute to strategic initiatives, and effectively communicate business outcomes to senior leaders.• Gender Dynamics and Coaching: Susan offers insights on how gender biases in coaching can reinforce stereotypes, such as focusing on women’s confidence and work-life balance over business skills. By recognizing these dynamics, coaches can shift their approach to empower women with the skills that truly drive career advancement.Actionable Insights:1. For Coaches and Mentors: Build your own BQ skills to coach women effectively on business, financial, and strategic acumen. Make it a priority to help women develop the skills and language needed to be recognized as strategic partners within the organization.2. For Managers and Leaders: Transform coaching by focusing on how women’s roles contribute to business results. Encourage them to engage with business metrics, strategy discussions, and broader organizational goals to build their reputation as key business players.3. For Women in Leadership: Seek out opportunities to develop your business savvy. Understand how your work impacts the organization’s strategic objectives, and learn to communicate these impacts in ways that demonstrate your value as a leader.Resources Mentioned:• No Ceiling, No Walls by Susan Colantuono• Be Business Savvy: BeBusinessSavvy.com• Michelle Redfern’s The Leadership Compass for insights on BQ and leadership success.Final Thoughts:Michelle and Susan call on all managers, mentors, and coaches to step up their coaching game by integrating business acumen development into their support of women leaders. By strengthening their own BQ skills, these supporters can play a pivotal role in closing the leadership gender gap and positioning women as invaluable partners in the business.

In this episode of Lead to Soar, host Michelle Redfern is joined by Trina Sunday, founder of Reimagine HR, for a candid conversation about the need for a major overhaul in HR. Michelle and Trina unpack the shortcomings in traditional HR practices, including the “policy police” reputation, and discuss how HR functions must evolve to be effective partners in strategic leadership. They explore why HR often catches criticism, how changing workplace expectations impact HR’s responsibilities, and the skills gap preventing HR from meeting the needs of a modern workforce. From adopting design thinking to embracing proactive relationship-building, they advocate for a reimagined HR that better supports both employee well-being and organizational goals.Episode Highlights:Why HR Needs Reimagining: Trina explains that HR’s “policy police” reputation often undermines its credibility. The function frequently finds itself torn between advocating for leaders or employees, resulting in a perceived lack of alignment and strategic value.The Dual Role of HR: Michelle and Trina discuss the unique challenge HR faces in balancing the needs of both employees and leadership. This "dual loyalty" requires HR professionals to demonstrate social intelligence, transparency, and consistency to foster trust on both sides.Modern Skill Requirements for HR: To thrive in today’s environment, HR must master new skills, including data analysis, digital literacy, business acumen, and values-based decision-making. The need to focus on employee experience design and inclusivity is also highlighted.Barriers to HR Transformation: Limited budgets, outdated perceptions, and a lack of digital resources hinder HR's ability to drive innovation. Additionally, traditional HR education often fails to equip practitioners with the modern skills necessary for impactful leadership.The Role of Design Thinking in HR: Both Michelle and Trina advocate for using human-centered design to tailor HR practices to meet diverse employee needs effectively. However, they acknowledge that this is rarely part of traditional HR training.Leadership Call to Action:Reevaluate HR's Role: For senior leaders, clarify HR’s strategic role within the organization. Openly communicate this vision across departments to ensure alignment and mutual understanding.Voice of the Customer Listening Tour: Encourage HR to regularly engage with both employees and leadership to understand their evolving needs. Use focus groups or one-on-one conversations to gain insights rather than relying on impersonal surveys.Invest in Skill Development: Equip HR teams with critical skills such as business acumen, data literacy, and design thinking to address both organizational and employee needs proactively. Prioritize continuous learning, networking, and skill-building.Embrace Proactive Communication: Transparent, values-driven communication is essential in building trust. Ensure HR consistently communicates decisions and expectations, maintaining clear, ethical standards.Challenge Traditional Practices: Question outdated processes that hinder HR’s ability to be a proactive partner in the business. Shift HR’s focus away from compliance to prioritize collaboration, strategic input, and employee advocacy.You can find, listen to and connect with Trina at:http://www.reimaginehr.com.au/https://podcast.reimaginehr.com.au/https://www.linkedin.com/in/trinasunday/

In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast, Michelle Redfern explores the concept of learning conversations and their role in career and leadership development. Michelle shares how mastering the art of these informal but intentional discussions can significantly enhance your leadership journey.Key Discussion Points:What are Learning Conversations?Michelle defines learning conversations as informal, intentional dialogues with someone whose experience can help broaden your perspective. Unlike traditional mentoring, learning conversations are more flexible and less structured, focusing on real-time knowledge sharing and feedback.Why Learning Conversations Matter for LeadersResearch from Dan Pink emphasizes that asking smart, open-ended questions invites deeper engagement and leads to more meaningful learning experiences. Learning conversations allow leaders to develop cognitive diversity by connecting with people who have different lived experiences. This helps you become a more adaptable and agile leader.Practical Steps to Initiate Learning ConversationsMichelle shares actionable advice on how to start a learning conversation:1. Identify your goals or challenges.2. Reflect on who in your network might offer valuable insights.3. Frame your request thoughtfully to respect the other person’s time and expertise.4. Focus on active listening and mutual benefit during the conversation.The Coffee ExperimentMichelle challenges listeners to try The Coffee Experiment by reaching out to someone in their network for an informal conversation. This simple yet powerful strategy can help you test ideas, seek feedback, and develop deeper professional relationships.The Role of Confidence in Learning ConversationsMichelle emphasizes that asking for a learning conversation demonstrates leadership qualities such as self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and a willingness to grow. For women in particular, engaging in these conversations is a way to build confidence and navigate workplace challenges.Resources Mentioned:Dan Pink’s work on the power of questions in leadership (e.g., To Sell is Human)Holly Ransom’s Love Mondays newsletter on learning conversationsActionable Challenge:This week, try The Coffee Experiment. Reach out to someone in your network for a 30-minute conversation focused on learning from their experience. Frame your request thoughtfully, listen actively, and reflect on what you gain from the conversation.Join the Conversation:We’d love to hear how you’re using learning conversations in your leadership journey. Share your experiences with us on the Lead to Soar network or email us directly.