4word Women

Is your team struggling to function effectively in your pandemic work arrangement? Joi Freeman, founder and CEO of Remnant Strategy, joins the podcast to talk about how to adapt to the ever-changing face of teamwork and why it is vital we all remember one simple fact: we are all human. Links for this episode:Joi’s websiteFollow Joi on:FacebookTwitterInstagramLinkedInWatch Joi on the webinar series Candid Conversations – Racial ReconciliationGuest Bio: Joi Freeman is the Founder & CEO of Remnant Strategy, a consultancy working at the intersection of culture and commerce to help legacy and emerging businesses navigate the ever-evolving global terrain.  As a strategist, youth culture enthusiast, and advocate for voices of vulnerable populations, Joi is regarded as a brand “fixer” who connects the dots between corporate strategy, brand marketing, and social impact. In this last year, Freeman led growth strategy engagements across sectors including arts education, teletherapy, and women/youth economic development. Before founding Remnant Strategy, she developed brand strategies for a host of businesses including The Boston Consulting Group, the YMCA, Claire’s & Icing stores, the Girl Scouts, MoneyGram International, HOPE Worldwide, McDonald’s, and Burger King. As a frequent presenter on issues impacting Gen Zs globally and specifically youth of color, Freeman is deeply committed to creating successful pathways for the next and most diverse generation to maximize their full potential. She was selected as one of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Class of 2021 Emerging Leaders, and serves on several non-profit boards including alt_ Chicago, GirlForward, and Together Chicago. Freeman has an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Literature of the African Diaspora and Creative Writing from the University of Maryland, College Park. Orginal broadcast dated: Feb 2021 Click here for the latest Podcast from 4word - Work Love Pray Podcast - 4word (4wordwomen.org)

Molly Fletcher, hailed as the “female Jerry Maguire” by CNN, is a CEO, motivational speaker, and business author who built a successful career as one of the first female sports agents. She joins the podcast to talk about entrepreneurship, how to identify what you’re chasing in your career and life, and how to make sure you balance your ambition with your values. Links for this episode:Subscribe to Molly’s podcastSubscribe to Molly’s newsletterGet the 7 mindset shifts digital workbookLearn more about the Game Changer Leadership HuddlesBuy Molly’s books:The Energy ClockFearless At WorkA Winner’s Guide to NegotiatingThe Business of Being the Best5 Best Tools to Find Your Dream Career Molly Fletcher is a trailblazer in every sense of the word.  Hailed as “the female Jerry Maguire” by CNN, she represented sport’s biggest names and negotiated over $500 million in contracts.  Her clients included: Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz, golfer Matt Kuchar, broadcaster Erin Andrews, and basketball championship coaches Tom Izzo and Doc Rivers. Molly has been featured in ESPN, Fast Company, Forbes and Sports Illustrated.  She is the author of five books, most recently The Energy Clock.  A graduate of Michigan State University, Molly resides in Atlanta with her husband Fred and their three daughters.   Orginal broadcast dated: Feb. 2021 Click here for the latest Podcast from 4word - Work Love Pray Podcast - 4word (4wordwomen.org)

Dawn F. Landry, author of ARMORED, joins the podcast to talk about how she was stretched and pressed into becoming a “care coach” for her husband through three major, life-threatening illnesses. As a tenured, business professional with no medical background and limited maternal instincts, Dawn had to redefine the role of caregiver and, through these experiences, Dawn has concluded that everything we need to not only survive but to overwhelmingly succeed in the darkest of times is already wired within us. Links for this episode:Buy ARMORED here (use code “4WORD” for $10 off a $40 or more purchase)Dawn’s websiteFollow ARMORED on:FacebookInstagramTwitterLinkedInYoutube Dawn F. Landry has spent over half of her 27-year career in Houston’s corporate real estate industry, excelling in business development and marketing leadership positions within the region’s largest economic development organization, as well as international commercial construction companies. In February 2017, she founded Authentizity, LLC, as an independent B2B growth strategist and a Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths® Coach to provide consulting, training, and coaching services that optimize technical teams’ engagement and productivity. While operating as the organization’s CEO, she recently authored and self-published a bestselling book, ARMORED. Orginal broadcast dated: Jan 2021 Click here for the latest Podcast from 4word - Work Love Pray Podcast - 4word (4wordwomen.org)

Liz Forkin Bohannon, founder of Sseko Designs, joins the podcast to talk about how she listened to Holy Spirit-inspired decisions and pivoted Sseko in 2020, and lays out how her resilience saved the company. Links for this episode:Shop Sseko Designs hereBuy Beginner’s Pluck hereJoin the Sseko FellowsGuest Bio: Liz Forkin Bohannon is the founder of Sseko Designs and the author of the book Beginner’s Pluck: Build your life of purpose, passion and impact now. Sseko Designs is an ethical fashion brand that works to educate and empower women. By providing employment and educational opportunities, Sseko enables women to continue their education and become leaders in their country. Liz graduated from the University of Missouri with a Master’s degree in Journalism. In 2008, she moved to Uganda where she met an incredible group of talented young women who were struggling to finance their higher education. After traveling the country by motorcycle to find raw materials and learn how to produce footwear by hand, Liz hired three young women and started Sseko Designs. Since then, Sseko Designs has grown from three women making sandals together under a mango tree, to an international fashion brand that provides employment, educational opportunities and entrepreneurial training to hundreds of women in East Africa and across the globe. Using her unlikely story of a journalist-gone-shoe-maker, Liz shares her passion for social enterprise, conscious consumerism, social justice, creative leadership and gender-equality. Liz and the Sseko story has been featured in dozens of publications including: Vogue Magazine, Redbook Magazine, O Magazine, Inc, Fortune and others. Sseko has appeared on national broadcasts including ABC’s Shark Tank and Good Morning America. Among other notable honors, Liz was recently named a top three Transformation Leader by John Maxwell and Bloomberg Businessweek named Sseko as a top social enterprise. Forbes named Liz one of the top 20 public speakers in the U.S. Liz’s powerful, disarmingly authentic and witty voice captivates and inspires her audience. She now splits her time between Uganda and Portland, Oregon, where she and her husband Ben run Sseko Designs and raise their two young sons. Orginal broadcast dated: Jan 2021 Click here for the latest Podcast from 4word - Work Love Pray Podcast - 4word (4wordwomen.org)

As you’re enjoying this time of the year with family and friends (whatever that meetup may look like), it can be so easy to throw yourself into everything and not take a moment to remember that you are only human and cannot be everything to everyone at every moment.  It’s so important to be intentional with your time and your energy, especially in the middle of a busy holiday season. So how do you do that well? Dr. Debra Dean, President and CEO of Dean Business Consulting, talks about how she’s protected her time spent with her six children and four grandchildren and discusses why she believes women in the workplace should use their business savvy to set airtight boundaries for their families. Links for this episode:Dr. Dean’s websiteFollow Dr. Dean on LinkedInDr. Dean’s Halftime Institute videoTools from the Halftime InstituteBoundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life by Henry CloudAsk For It: How Women Can Use the Power of Negotiation to Get What They Really Want by Linda BabcockGuest Bio: Awarded 2020 Women of Influence by The Colorado Springs Business Journal. Also 2020 Winner of Most Influential Business Consultancy CEO (USA) by Global CEO Excellence Awards. Dr. Debra Dean has decades of experience in Corporate America as well as years of teaching experience at the university level. She was nominated as one of three top operational excellence leaders with OPEX Week Business Transformation World Summit 2019. She received the 2018 Outstanding Reviewer award for the Management, Spirituality, and Religion (MSR) community. She was nominated as a top female leader with her previous global workplace where her research efforts elevated employee engagement to some of the highest levels in the multinational organization. And, she has been included in Biltmore’s Who’s Who of Women Business Leaders, Continental Who’s Who of National Business Leaders, and Who’s Who Among University Students. Dr. Dean was born and raised in Kentucky, spent nine years in Iowa, and currently resides in Colorado with her husband Steve and their youngest son Gavin. In total, they have six amazing children and four wonderful grandchildren. Orginal broadcast dated: Dec 2020 Click here for the latest Podcast from 4word - Work Love Pray Podcast - 4word (4wordwomen.org)

None of us could have ever anticipated what 2020 would be like, and we could all come up with interesting “pros and cons” lists for the past 12 months, with the cons lists probably being slightly longer.  One pro to 2020, though, might have come in the form of wanting to be more intentional with our time. (Thank you, quarantine!) This year, maybe you learned that you were a little off balance with what you thought was a good use of the hours in your day.  Lisa Adams, coach, mentor, and leader of 4word: Saratoga Springs, returns to the podcast (catch her March episode here) to talk about making intentional living a reality and shares her tips for staying sane and grounded this holiday season. Links for this episode: Guest Bio: Lisa Adams has a contagious enthusiasm for training and coaching leaders at all levels of an organization. She utilizes her 20+ years in management to coach leaders to intentionally develop their own leadership skills and mentor their teams for long term success.  Her career spans from various marketing and small business ownership opportunities to corporate human resources at American Express, training and development at Ceridian, software sales at Lawson Software, and strategic partner management and business development at Lycos.com and Monster.com. In 2009, Lisa decided to begin her formal coaching work. Since then, Lisa has coached a variety of professionals, from young leaders fresh out of college to senior executives.  Lisa is an active mentor through 4word. She has been a preferred expert with Keystone Partners and Work It Daily.com. At one time, Lisa co-hosted a leadership podcast called LEADTHIS! Lisa is a graduate of the Paul College / Whittemore School of Business at the University of New Hampshire. Her coaching certifications were received through Career Coach Academy and Susan Whitcomb, one of the premier career experts in the field today. Personally, she and her husband, Mike, have been married for 20 years. They have 2 teenage sons in high school. Mike has been a pastor for 23 years for 3 different churches. Lisa understands a life in ministry and business. In her free time, she attends the boys’ football, baseball and volleyball games, and spends time with her girlfriends. She and Mike love to vacation on warm ocean beaches. Orginal broadcast dated: Dec 2020 Click here for the latest Podcast from 4word - Work Love Pray Podcast - 4word (4wordwomen.org)

Financial planning may not be something high on your priorities list right now, but there is honestly no better time than the present to start thinking about your finances and how to strengthen or protect your financial future. For women, financial planning doesn’t have to be a daunting task that men should just “handle.” Financial stability is something that any woman can achieve, as long as she knows what the process will look like. On this episode, Valkyrie Lang, Investment Advisor Representative at Chisholm Trail Financial Group, an independent financial planning firm in Austin, TX, lists out the financial goals all women should aim for and how anyone can start making their financial future more secure, no matter your starting point. Links for this episode:Chisholm Trail Financial Group websiteResources for creating financial wisdomGuest Bio: Valkyrie Lang’s mission is to support entrepreneurs, especially women, in creating financial independence. She is a passionate advocate for assisting and educating her clients and their families through the unique transitions they can face throughout their lives. She believes our finances and investments should reflect our values. She is committed to serving her clients and their families with respect, non-judgement and excellence. Orginal broadcast dated: November 2020 Click here for the latest Podcast from 4word - Work Love Pray Podcast - 4word (4wordwomen.org)

Have you ever felt “the nudge?” You know, that nagging thought or “what if” that won’t go away, no matter how hard you try to bury it down? That nudge is usually the beginning of a “next step” in your life, which could mean going for a promotion to switching industries or careers. Career steps are big and sometimes scary (especially in a pandemic!) but always necessary if you want to keep pushing forward. On this episode, Elizabeth Knox, founder of MatchPace, shares simple steps to keep in mind when giving in to your “nudge” and talks about a couple of helpful tools (linked below!) MatchPace has developed to help women set themselves up for success, no matter where they are in their career.   Links for this episode:MatchPaceFree Core Values exerciseChronoPace quizThe Working Mom SprintMcKinsey/Lean In study on Women in the Workplace (2020) Elizabeth Knox started MatchPace in 2016 because of her love for working. She knows how much companies, government agencies, and non-profits contribute to the good that the world needs, and Elizabeth helps organizations use the right team, to focus on the right priorities, to drive to the right outcomes and give people back their time.  You can find Elizabeth squarely in the “messy middle” of her life: running a young company, while raising 4 small children, being a spouse, and a community member. She speaks from a place of honesty, not as someone who has all the answers, but as someone who, like most of us, is still trying to figure it out, and knows that figuring-it-out is a life-long process.  Elizabeth is the host of the podcast “You Need to Stop Doing That,” offering refreshing ideas that challenge the thought that, more often than not, our answer is to add more to our lives – more tech solutions, more activities, more stuff; but in reality, if we want to live a life in line with our priorities, we often need to prune things away.  Elizabeth is a Certified Professional Diversity Coach, providing individuals a non-judgmental space to consider and take action related to diversity and equity.  Elizabeth’s writing has been featured in HuffPost, Thrive Global, Today’s Parents, and Today’s Christian Women. Her first book, Faith Powered Profession – a Woman’s Guide to Living with Faith and Values in the Workplace was published in 2013 (and you can find it on the 4word website!) and helps women grasp the importance and power of their professional work.  Orginal broadcast dated: November 2020 Click here for the latest Podcast from 4word - Work Love Pray Podcast - 4word (4wordwomen.org)

Remember when being hurt meant that someone didn’t let you play with their toy, or maybe you weren’t picked for a team during PE. Those were the days, huh?  Now when you’re hurt, it’s usually something a lot more painful and long-lasting, like the death of a loved one, a relationship that gets strained beyond repair, or unexpectedly losing a treasured part of who you are. Finding healing for hurts like these is not easy, and it doesn’t happen overnight. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to find peace for yourself.  On this episode, Lauren, a 4word mentor living in Miami, graciously talks about how the death of her grandfather was made even more unbearable by years-long rifts within her family and how she is orking to help her loved ones find unity. Links for this episode:Follow Lauren on LinkedInEmotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis BradberryThe Problem of Pain by C.S. LewisGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela DuckworthGuest Bio: “[She] who refreshes others will [herself] be refreshed.” Proverbs 11:25b Lauren’s purpose in life was always rooted in this. At an early age she strived to make a difference in the world through her writing and public speaking, representing multiple organizations on a local, regional, and national scale. Her work with girls and women started in her youth and continues in the present, as her passion is in helping others identify their true selves and embrace the now. With a degree in Communications, most of her professional life has been spent in South Florida working in marketing and business and brand management. She currently works for one of the top real estate attorneys in the state of Florida managing marketing, business development, and the client experience. Lauren also services a select clientele through her own company: Reinvint. They focus on reinventing businesses and brands with hope that in the process God uses the company to reinvent lives. Outside of mentoring with 4word, she is also an advocate for the Alzheimer’s Association working with both state and national government officials. Orginal broadcast dated: October 2020 Click here for the latest Podcast from 4word - Work Love Pray Podcast - 4word (4wordwomen.org)

When something unexpected pops up (we’re looking at you, pandemic!), how we respond is incredibly reflective of the level of emotional intelligence we possess. “Emotional intelligence” is a term you’ve likely heard of but maybe don’t know exactly what it means. Dr. Katherine Pang, licensed psychologist, founder/Clinical Director/Managing Psychologist of Lakewood Wellness Partners, founder of the Christian Life Institute, and member of 4word: Dallas, shares what healthy emotional intelligence can look like and why being emotionally intelligent can strengthen your Christian walk. Links for this episode:Christian Life InstituteLakewood Wellness PartnersHarvard Business Review’s 10 Must Reads on Emotional IntelligenceGuest Bio: Dr. Katherine Pang is the Founder and CEO of Christian Life Institute. She is also the Managing Psychologist and Clinical Director at Lakewood Wellness in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Pang has a ThM and MDiv from Talbot School of Theology, two law degrees, an MBA over 30 years of experience in law, business, and education.    Dr. Pang has also served as the Director of a Women’s Ministry, Bible teacher, Conference, and Retreat speaker and has published numerous books. Orginal broadcast dated: October 2020 Click here for the latest Podcast from 4word - Work Love Pray Podcast - 4word (4wordwomen.org)