What it Feels Like to Hide and Discovering Strength in Vulnerability with Shanti Joy Gold and Mary Tess Rooney

In today’s episode, host Mary Tess Rooney (she/her) turns the tables and interviews Shanti Joy Gold (she/her). Shanti shares more about her journey, including the early days of her relationship working at the same company with her now-wife - before there were societal shifts in LGBTQ+ acceptance. She discusses the tightrope of balancing her personal and professional life while experiencing the exhaustion and isolation of hiding her relationship in order to maintain a sense of professional safety. Mary Tess and Shanti also reflect on the first 10 episodes of the podcast, discussing key moments from the wide-ranging and deeply-personal stories shared by underrepresented guests and allies. Mary Tess and Shanti express gratitude for the vulnerability with which the guests have shared in order to use their stories in service of others - transforming the systemic challenges that marginalized people often face into opportunities for hope, healing, evolution, connection and empowerment.Shanti Joy Gold is a professional coach, 30-year corporate warrior and member of the LGBTQIA+ community. She understands the unique challenges faced by those who feel like outsiders and, as an executive coach, helps underrepresented people confidently thrive in their careers by being fully themselves.Mary Tess Rooney is a teacher, healer, professional coach, retreat leader, speaker and perpetual student. As a 25-year corporate warrior, her executive presence combined with her coaching and Shamanic Reiki healing gifts, uniquely qualifies her to empower others to share their Heart Value and align with what lights them up.TO LEARN MORE ABOUT 1:1 CAREER COACHING WITH SHANTI JOY GOLD, BOOK A COMPLIMENTARY DISCOVERY CALL HEREMary and I also discuss:Remembering the “do we want to keep going?” conversation that Shanti and her now-wife revisited throughout their early days as they assessed the career risks associated with their relationshipExploring the opportunity to ask deeper questions and share our stories more freely to foster deeper connection with people in our livesExplaining the experience of constantly “filtering” and “scanning” conversations / situations to engage with colleagues while trying to avoid suspicion - and the exhaustion of it allSharing anecdotes about not “getting away with things” - and the humorous moments in Mary Tess’s and Shanti’s lives that offered this awarenessThank you for listening! Be sure to tune in to all the episodes to receive insights about how to navigate your career as an outsider - and learn more about the impact of allyship. Don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and find me below to share your key takeaways!Learn more about Stories We Haven’t shared at https://storieswehaventshared.com CONNECT WITH SHANTI JOY GOLDLinkedInInstagramPodcast Spotify playlistTake the Free Thriving AssessmentBook a Free Discovery CallWork with Shanti!CONNECT WITH MARY TESS ROONEYBuy Mary Tess’s Book Listen to the True Stride PodcastWork with Mary Tess!