Episodes
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What if You Could Actually Heal? Alex Bynum on trauma, spirituality, and becoming yourself.
For many people, healing means learning to manage pain. But what if healing meant something more? This week on Real Women's Work, I sit down with Spiritual Guide and Healer in the Lineage of King Solomon (listen in to see why this matters) and founder of Empowering Path, Alex Bynum, for a...
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The Job Women Couldn't Have 50 Years Ago: Harbor Pilot
Most of us have watched a massive cargo ship glide effortlessly into port without giving it a second thought. But before that ship reaches the dock, someone climbs from a small pilot boat onto a rope ladder hanging from the side of the moving vessel—often in darkness, rough seas, or bad…
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What Does a Freelance Editor Actually Do? (And Why It Matters More Than You Think)
Most of us read books, articles, websites, and training materials every day without ever thinking about the people behind the scenes who make them clear, consistent, and easy to understand. This week, I'm joined by freelance editor Joni McNeal, who pulls back the curtain on a profession many of…
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The Purpose of Caring: What a Pediatric Burn Nurse Taught Me About Meaningful Work
Show Notes What does it take to walk into a room full of suffering and keep showing up? In this episode of Real Women's Work, I revisit a conversation with Carolyn Flynn, a registered nurse who spent ten years caring for critically ill children in a pediatric burn unit. What I remembered as a...
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Building a Peaceful Business with Lesa Frye
What happens when the life that looks successful on paper no longer feels fulfilling on the inside? In this episode of Real Women's Work, Jen sits down with business and mindset coach Lesa Frye for an honest conversation about ambition, burnout, identity, purpose, and redefining success as women...
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Sitting in Traffic for Professional Women's Sports
What happens when something that once felt impossible suddenly feels… normal? In this short solo episode of Real Women's Work, Jen shares a deeply personal experience attending a sold-out Professional Women's Hockey League game with her daughter — and the unexpected moment that stopped her cold:...
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The One Shift that Changes Every Conversation
We talk all day long. At work. At home. With friends, colleagues, strangers. But how often are we actually communicating? In this episode, I sit down with communication consultant Dee Dee Fisher to explore a powerful (and slightly uncomfortable) idea: many of our conversations aren't actually...
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How to Show Up for Someone in Grief (When You Don't Know What to Say)
What do you say to someone who's grieving? Most of us don't know. So we send flowers. We drop off food. And then… we disappear. Today's guest, Kelly Edmondson, is here to change that. Kelly is a nurse executive, grief counselor, and founder of Timely Presence—a service created after the death of...
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Rebecca Nurse and The Danger of Being Human: The Salem Witch Trials and What They Reveal About Us
This episode is part of Podcasthon, a global podcasting event spotlighting meaningful causes and stories that matter. What happens when fear becomes belief—and belief becomes certainty? In this episode, I speak with Kathryn Rutkowski, president of the Rebecca Nurse Homestead, about one of the…
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What Happens When We Start Talking About Dying with Laura Cleminson
What if talking about death actually helped us live better? In this episode of Real Women's Work, Jen Keefe sits down with Laura Cleminson, a death doula and founder of the Pre-Dead Social Club, where people gather to talk openly about mortality, dying, and what matters most in life. Laura's work...
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Brenda Sullivan, Gravestone Girls Part 2
Some people find their calling in the most unexpected places. And for Brenda Sullivan, that calling happened… in the cemetery. In this two-part conversation, I'm joined by the fascinating, funny, wildly knowledgeable founder of The Gravestone Girls — cemetery artists and historians who are…
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Brenda Sullivan Founder, Gravestone Girls
Some people find their calling in the most unexpected places. And for Brenda Sullivan, that calling happened… in the cemetery. In this two-part conversation, I'm joined by the fascinating, funny, wildly knowledgeable founder of The Gravestone Girls — cemetery artists and historians who are…
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Wendy Peirce Vice President of Sales, Alnoba Leadership and Team Development
Some places change you the moment you arrive. Alnoba is one of them. In this conversation, Wendy Peirce, Vice President of Salles, shares how her path led her to Alnoba—and why this land, this work, and this community feel so deeply alive. What begins as a leadership and team development retreat...
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Life Coach for Mums with Trisha Gudka
We have all heard the term "Life Coach" but what does it actually mean? What does a LIfe Coach do? Trisha Gudka was at a dangerous point in her life. The joy was gone. As a mom of two young children the expectations and realities did not line up. This led to unhappiness and depression. She was at…
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Cheryl Holling, Podcast Host and Voice Talent
Yes, Cheryl Holling talks about what it was like to create a podcast out of thin air and bring it to a multiple award winning pocast. Yes, Cheryl talks about her exiting work as a voice talent. This conversation veers deeper. In her incredible, love-filled voice, Cheryl offers us practical...
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Sasha Graham, Host, Sports Will Save Us All Podcast
Not a sports fan? No worries—this episode is still absolutely for you. Sasha Graham, former Walt Disney executive and Oregon farm kid turned award-winning podcaster, joins me to talk about what it really means to live a life that feels good, positive, and meaningful. Her podcast, Sports Will Save...
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What I Learned from the Women of the Salem Witch Trials
In this episode, I step back from interviewing and instead reflect on what I learned while hosting my three-part series on the Salem witch trials. These conversations left a mark on me—deeply, unexpectedly—and today I'm sharing the insights that stayed long after the microphones were turned off.
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Kathryn Rutkowski, President, The Rebecca Nurse House
Rebecca Nurse hauntingly accepted her fate at the gallows with little objection. She was 71 years old — frail, devout, and undeserving of the cruelty that met her. Her story is one of the saddest and most human of all the Salem Witch Trials. In this episode, we focus on one life lost amid the...
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Paula Richter, Curator, Salem Witch Trials 1692 at the Peabody Essex Museum
Deep down, I think we all know that history matters. Yet for many of us, the way we learned it in school made it feel distant and inaccessible. It was out of context — abstract, detached from real people and real lives. But when we recall a story from the past centered on an individual, something...
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Rachel Christ-Doane, Salem Witch Museum Director of Education
There is so much about the Salem With Trials that I had wrong. The more I dug in, the more I saw that all who were involved were real actual humans. They had famlies and jobs and homes and neighbors. Yet, so often when I thought of the Salem Witch Trials it was with an almost dark entertainment...
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Amanda Giles: Organizer, Portsmouth Halloween Parade
If you've ever been to the Portsmouth Halloween Parade, you know — it's one of the most connected nights in Portsmouth. People are a little kinder to each other, more curious, quicker to laugh and accommodate. It's so, so special. And this is just the beginning. From Monster Troupe to Thriller...
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Confidence Coach & Psychotherapist with Anna Marcolin
Is there a little voice that nags at you? Does it grab at your shoulder and pull at your sweater and say "come here! come here! Look! This is the thing you want to try! This is the thing you want to do!" Do you want to listen to it? To go where it leads you and jump all in to try the thing that...
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Writer, Writing Coach, Author of "Writing that Gets Noticed"
Have you ever wondered who writes the articles in your favorite magazines? How do they know what to say? What makes you read it? Where do they find the courage to be vulnerable and how do they know where to draw the line? Are you yourself a writer (maybe even secretly)? Do you want writing be…
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Weight Inclusive Physical Therapist & Anti-Diet Health & Body Image Coach with Dr. Lisa Folden
What is it like when you get dressed in the morning? Do you walk into your closet happy and excited to put on the clothes you choose? Or do you try on three different pairs of pants, two skirts, and six tops in hopes of finding something that will cover up {insert part of your body you think…
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Speaking Confidence Coach with Linda Ugelow, Author of "Delight in the Limelight"
Does it happen to you, too? Forehead dripping with sweat, hear trate reaching 180, hands so clammy you cannot hold the ice cold water glass you desperately want to sip from to get rid of the cotton that somehow found its way to lining your mouth? And then it's time for you to speak... in front of...
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Master Welder and Founder of Weld Jointed with Pa'Trice Frazier
Did you know that the US has a shortage of welders? Me either. But after reading a NYT article in 2009, Pa'Trice Frazier took a trip to her local school to ask if the statistics were true. Sure enough, the instructors confirmed that the US had a shortage of 150-200K welders on their hands.…
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Brand Photographer, Strategist, and Video Storyteller with Nicole Bedard
Have you ever seen those gorgeous videos from your favorite brands- you know, the ones that show how they make their jelly or jewelry (or maybe even their beautiful tulip farm!) and wonder who makes them? Have you noticed the continuity in the images and video and appreciated that it tells you a...
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Lori Frisher, CEO/Disability Empathy Strategist Ready or Not! Mediahttps://www.linkedin.com/in/lorifrisher/
In twenty years and beyond it will be interesting to look back and see the good that came out of the pandemic. Yes, it was a long and awful ride. It also gave us things we may not have found otherwise. Ready or Not! Media is one of those things. The pandemic gave Lori Frisher a new view. Lori was...
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Jenny Goldfarb, Founder & CEO of Unreal Deli
Shark Tank may have been your introduction to Mrs. Goldfarb, too! As an avid watcher of Shark Tank I specifically remember when Jenny appeared. I was so excited to see a vegan deli meat on the show! Jenny's energy, passion, commitment and joy burst throught the screen. I found myself not only...
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Senior Buyer for a Major Catalog with Jess Shaw
Which catalogs have arrived in your mailbox lately? For me this week it was LL Bean and J. Jill. I love looking through catalogs but never thought much about how they are created. What surprised me after talking with Jess is how personal this process is. Jess really gets to know her clientele and...
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Menstrual Health Coach
Do you live with "The Curse"? When voicing your opinion have you beed asked if you are "on the rag"? How society speaks about menstruation hurts women. It has caused us to believe we are "crazy", unreliable, and impossible to deal with during "that time of the month". It affects our lives- the...
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Horror Artist and Prop Builder with Steph Strensrud
You know those people who have no idea how inspring their life is? Whose stories and choices are so powerful they shift the way we understand life? That's not what I was looking for when I considered who might be an awesome guest for October. Yes, talking with Steph Strensrud hits all the horror...
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Forensic Psychologist, Kate Wallinga
Do you know what a forensic psychologist does? Are you sure? Most of us think we know what a foresnsic psychologist does from watching LA Law, SVU, and other crime shows. In this episode, Kate Wallinga not only gives us an idea of what the work of a foresnic psychologist is, she adds in the...
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Emilie Given, She's a Given Executive Virtual Assistant Services, CEO & Founder
Whew. I thought we were going to spend this hour talking about how the world of virtual assistants works and what it's like founding and running an agency. We did, of course. What I hadn't accounted for is the experience of not only starting a business like this and making it successful but the...
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Beth Tykodi, Genealogist
There has been so much talk about genealogy in the last few years with new accessibilty to it through websites and apps. Do you know what a genealogist does though? Do you know how she gets her information? How she connects with clients? For what purposes people want their genealogy investigated?...
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Dottie Janson, Amateur Competitive Figure Skater
What's something you have always wanted to do but felt too afraid? My list is too long to share! Not Dottie's though. In this episode Dottie talks with me about what it was like to start figure skating competatively in her 30's. From competeing against teens to finding a club with other adults,...
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Julia Schuster, Core team member of Showing up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Denver
Many white people wonder how to be effective in dismantling systemic racism. We can get stuck while trying to say, learn, or express the "perfect" thing. We are not sure how to learn the stories of, and support, Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) without burdening them. We know we need…
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Parenting through Covid-19 with Roya Dedeaux Marriage and Family Therapist
Whoa. Don't you feel like you are going to wake up tomorrow and all of this will have been a dream- or rather a nightmare? We went from living one way to living another way in the span of about 24 hours. There is so much legitimate fear right now. We have no answers. We cannot wrap our heads…
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Civil Rights Attorney with Sandra Hanshaw Burink
Social justice takes many forms. While we tend to think of marches, boycotts, and petitions, there are women who have devoted their lives and careers to taking practical action for social justice. Civil rights attorney Sandra Hanshaw Burink is one of those women. Sandra tells us about how she...
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Hawker for Colorado Rockies Games with Katie Eckhardt
"Peanuts! Get your peanuts!" Except now it's Berry Kabobs and they are being sold by a woman, not a man. Listen in as High School Senior (our youngest guest yet!) Katie Eckhardt talks about the work done behind the scenes to make the Colorado Rockies games spectacular for fans. From how Katie…
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Maria Fuller Founder of Raising a Powerful Girl and Empowered Girl Movement
All of us parents of girls want our daughters to have high self-worth and self confidence, a strong sense of their core beliefs, and the ability to say "no" to things that make them uncomfortable, and "yes" to things that bring them joy. With so much conflated information surrounding us, though,...
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Crisis and Performance Coach for Entrepreneurs and Public Figures with Gloria Mitchell
I want to introduce you to this week's guest. Gloria Mitchell is a Crisis and Performance Coach for Entrepreneurs and Public Figures. Her story will blow you away, inspire you, encourage you, empower you, and you will be so grateful that Gloria is in this world. The time I spent talking with…
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CEO of She Plays: First US Sports Fantasy Site Covering Women Athletes with Ashley Hart
Wow! You know those things that you never knew you never had? That you never knew you always wanted? Until I was introduced to the work that Ashley Hart is doing with her two best friends at She Plays I never would have thought to think that women athletes are not represented with Fantasy Sports!...
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Impostor Syndrome Workshop with Crystal Mazur, Award Winning Game Writer
Have you heard the term but are not sure what it means? Maybe you think you know what Impostor Syndrome means but that it doesn't apply to you because you are not in a "creative" field? As award winning game writer Crystal Mazur shares in this workshop, Impostor Syndrome can kick in whether you…
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Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Speaker, Women's Health Advocate with De'Nicea Hilton
Learning about our reproductive health as women is not only empowering, it may directly change outcomes for future generations. I had not understood this before talking with De'Nicea Hilton; Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Speaker, and Women's Health Advocate. While talking with De'Nicea I began to...
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Stay at Home Mom and Home/Unschooling mom with Martha Delmore
This episode feels like one of the most important to be included so far. Not because being a Stay at Home Mom is more important than being any other kind of mom but because I suspect including it here is unexpected. Martha Delmore's intention, wisdom, thoughtfulness, & intelligence are a gift for...
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Vintage Small Business Owner with Lexi Wilson
Lexi Wilson followed her path toward becoming an art teacher all the way through college. Then, something shifted. Working through mental health issues and with intention Lexi decided she would follow a path that brought her even more passion, creativity and joy while making the world a better...
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International Hair Stylist and Studio Owner Traci Estrada
How do you choose a color line? What's it like to work New York Fashion Week? Did you really get to go on that yacht with the models?! Traci Estrada answers these questions and offers us so much more. From getting over belittling comments from a jackass on her first day doing this work to…
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Moms Demand Action Leader Stop Gun Violence in America with Jessica Price
Sometimes everything changes in a single moment when a glance is exchanged between sisters and their entire focus unexpectedly shifts. Listen in as Jessica Price shares how she got started with Moms Demand Action and this work, how she's learned the things she needs to know, and what her activity...
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Creating Whimsical Art and Putting It on Paper
Who else gets giddy with all things paper?! Add gorgeous, whimsical art to it and I can barely contain myself! Join us as Sarah Collins, Owner and Founder of Whimsicals Paperie shares how she went from art education to whimsical paper product creator. Learn how she comes up with her designs, when...