Leadership & Motherhood

How to Advocate for Yourself at Work to Get the Promotion You Deserve as a High Achieving Woman - with Maya Sharfi

In this episode, Leanna Laskey McGrath sits down with career and executive coach Maya Sharfi to explore what it truly means to grow your career in alignment with your life, not at the expense of it. Maya shares how she supports high-achieving women, from manager to executive levels, in navigating promotions, career pivots, and redefining success. Drawing on her unique background in design and women’s empowerment, she brings a powerful blend of analytical thinking and deep personal insight to her coaching. Together, they discuss how to advocate for yourself at work, recognize your value, and make intentional career decisions that increase fulfillment. This conversation is especially relevant for ambitious women who feel the tension between professional growth and personal alignment. If you’re ready to stop climbing the ladder on autopilot and start building a career that actually supports your life, this episode will give you both perspective and practical direction. Take advantage of Maya’s special gift [http://buildyourselfworkshop.com/leanna] for Leadership & Motherhood listeners, a 5-minute assessment to identify what is standing between you and your next career level! Sign up [https://leadershipandmotherhood.info/] for the Leadership & Motherhood mailing list.

Questioning the Narratives We’ve Inherited: Motherhood, Identity, and Why Women’s Stories Deserve to Be Told - with Anna Malaika Tubbs

In this powerful and perspective-shifting episode, Leanna Laskey McGrath sits down with Anna Malaika Tubbs, renowned author, speaker, and advocate for examining the narratives that shape how we see ourselves and each other. Anna shares her global upbringing and how it shaped her understanding of identity, belonging, and cultural storytelling. Together, they explore the importance of elevating voices and histories that have been overlooked or erased (particularly women’s and mother’s stories), and how storytelling can be a tool for connection, healing, and change. This conversation goes beyond theory and into real life, touching on motherhood, raising children with awareness, and the responsibility we carry as leaders, parents, and individuals to question inherited narratives. For high-achieving women, executive leaders, and mothers, this episode is both grounding and expansive, an invitation to think more critically, lead more intentionally, and bring more awareness to what stories are shaping our beliefs. In This Episode, We Discuss: * How our upbringing shapes the way we see the world * The impact of inherited narratives and cultural conditioning * Why storytelling matters in leadership, motherhood, and identity * Raising children with awareness, empathy, and intentionality * The importance of questioning systems and assumptions * How curiosity and compassion can create deeper human connection * What it means to lead and parent with greater consciousness Connect with Anna Malaika Tubbs: Anna Malaika Tubbs Official Website [https://annamalaikatubbs.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com] @annamalaikatubbs on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/annamalaikatubbs/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Read New York Times Bestseller The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of MLK Jr., Malcolm X, and James Brown Shaped a Nation [https://annamalaikatubbs.com/media/]  Read instant New York Times Bestseller and USA Today National Bestseller Erased: What American Patriarchy Has Hidden From Us [https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250396815/erased/] Connect with Leanna Laskey McGrath: Coach Leanna website [https://www.coachleanna.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com]  Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/leannalaskey/]

Creating More Balance in Motherhood: The Power of Values-Aligned Boundaries and Intentional Career Decisions - with Lauren Cannata

In this episode, Leanna Laskey McGrath sits down with Lauren Cannata, a leader in the influencer marketing industry and mother of two, for a conversation about motherhood, career growth, work-life balance, and the intentional decisions that help high-achieving women create more sustainable and fulfilling lives. Lauren shares how becoming a mother reshaped the way she approaches ambition, productivity, leadership, and success. Instead of feeling more chaotic, motherhood pushed her to become more intentional with her time, boundaries, and career decisions, ultimately creating more balance, clarity, and presence in both work and family life. Together, Leanna and Lauren explore the pressure many working moms and executive women feel to “do it all,” why boundaries are essential for preventing burnout, and how values-aligned career decisions can help women build lives that support both professional success and personal fulfillment. They also discuss the leadership skills motherhood strengthens, including empathy, patience, perspective, and prioritization, and why redefining success after motherhood can lead to a more grounded and meaningful life. This episode is for ambitious women, working moms, leaders, and professionals who want to create more balance in motherhood without losing themselves, their goals, or their careers. In this episode, listeners will learn: * How motherhood changes ambition and career priorities * Why boundaries are essential for work-life balance * How intentional career decisions can create more balance in motherhood * The leadership skills women develop through motherhood * How high-achieving women can redefine success after becoming mothers * Practical mindset shifts for reducing overwhelm and burnout There are still a few spots left if you’d like to sign up to Try Coaching [https://calendly.com/coachleanna/icw-try-coaching-session] in observance of ICF’s International Coaching Week [http://www.coachleanna.com]!

High Achieving Women and Mental Health: The Hidden Cost of Holding It All Together - with Dr. Kelly Dries

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, this episode creates space for a conversation that often goes unseen, especially among high achieving women. Leanna sits down with Dr. Kelly Dries, a strengths-based leadership coach, to explore the complex and often hidden relationship between ambition, success, and mental health. Together, they unpack what it really looks like to be high functioning on the outside while struggling internally. This conversation goes beyond surface-level discussions of burnout and productivity. It dives into the pressure to “hold it all together,” the identity of being the strong one, and the quiet belief that there isn’t room to not be okay. Dr. Dries shares her personal journey with depression, eating disorders, and recovery, and how those experiences shaped her work supporting high achieving women today. They also explore the importance of emotional awareness, self-trust, and creating space to reconnect with yourself in a world that rewards constant achievement. This episode is both honest and deeply human. If you’ve ever felt like you should be able to manage it all, or like there’s no room for your struggle, you are not alone. Content warning: this episode contains discussion around topics including suicide, self harm, death, cancer, and eating disorders. Please take care of yourself. If you need support, please reach out to someone you trust or contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. Connect with Kelly and learn more about her RISE Women’s Leadership Group at https://www.kellydries.com/ [https://www.kellydries.com/]. Connect with Leanna and sign up for a free Try Coaching session [https://calendly.com/coachleanna/icw-try-coaching-session] in May in observation of ICF’s International Coaching Week.

What a Nail in My Tire Taught Me About Resilience, Gratitude, and Empowerment

What do you do when something goes wrong at the worst possible moment? In this episode, I'm sharing a story from earlier this week — a flat tire, pouring rain, and a coaching mastermind I didn’t want to be late to — and the one sentence that kept me from completely spiraling. That sentence: "This is my curriculum for today." It sounds simple, but the shift it creates is profound. When we hit an unexpected obstacle, most of us default to resistance — why me, why now, this always happens — and without even realizing it, we hand over our power to the situation. This reframe does the opposite. It cuts through the drama, puts you back in the driver's seat (pun intended), and opens the door to something most people don't expect to feel in a hard moment: gratitude and genuine power. In this episode I walk you through exactly what happened, how I handled it, and why the way we think about our circumstances determines not just how we feel, but how we show up — at work, at home, and everywhere in between. This one is for every high-achieving woman who has ever let a curveball derail her day, her mood, or her confidence. In this episode you'll learn: * Why fighting against reality is always a losing battle — and what to do instead * How one sentence can interrupt a panic spiral before it takes over * The difference between things happening to you vs. for you * How your thoughts directly shape your emotions and your ability to show up powerfully * Why gratitude is accessible even in the most frustrating moments — and how to get there quickly Coaching is the thing that’s helped me choose more empowering sentences to support me in these tough moments. If you’d like to experience the power of coaching for yourself, join me in May to celebrate ICF’s International Coaching Week with a “Try Coaching” session. It’s the one time a year I offer free 1:1 coaching. Sign up here. [https://calendly.com/coachleanna/icw-try-coaching-session]