She Became CEO

E65 | When Love Stays After Someone Leaves

This week's episode is personal. My friend Don McNeill lost his son Tim — a man he chose to love, raised as his own, and loved completely. Tim fought cancer for two years. There were signs of recovery. And then he was gone. This episode is for Don. And it is for everyone who has ever lost someone they loved deeply — and is still carrying that loss, quietly, alongside everything else life asks of them. We also revisit a story from Episode 39 — the Padre story — and how I first heard it in a room full of grief, and laughed until I couldn't stop. Because that is what life is like. In this episode: The story of Don and Tim — and what chosen love looks like in practice. A tribute to our friend Lee Tyler, who left us in September 2023 with grace, humor, and peace. Why grief doesn't ask permission to stay — and what it means to let it be without letting it take over. The difference between sweeping sorrow under the rug and learning to feel it fully. Why choosing joy is not a betrayal of the people you have lost. It is how you honor them. Referenced in this episode: Episode 39 — Don McNeill: Humor, Mark Twain, and the Art of Telling True Stories She Became CEO homepage — shebecameceo.com

E64 | I Almost Lost My Memory. Here's How It Gets Stolen — And How to Fight Back.

In this episode, I talk about memory loss and cognitive decline — what actually causes them, how early the damage begins, and what any of us can do right now, without a doctor's appointment or an expensive protocol. I also share my own experience recovering from memory and sleep problems, and why I believe that cognitive decline is largely preventable — not inevitable. If you are worried about your memory, your parents' memory, or your risk of Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease as you age, this episode is for you. In this episode: * How cognitive decline begins decades before symptoms appear — and what the early warning signs actually look like * The role of sugar, processed food, and insulin resistance in Alzheimer's disease and memory loss * Environmental toxins linked to Parkinson's disease — including pesticides, industrial chemicals, and air pollution — and simple steps to reduce your exposure * Why the brain may perform better on ketones than on glucose, and what that means for your diet * What good sleep actually does for the brain overnight — and the one eating habit that disrupts it * The research on exercise and brain health that surprised me * Creatine — what it is, why it matters for brain energy, and why it is worth knowing about * Why I respect doctors, but encourage you to lead your own health journey * A message to my parents, and to anyone watching someone they love begin to change Keywords: memory loss prevention, cognitive decline, Alzheimer's prevention, Parkinson's disease causes, brain health diet, ketogenic diet brain health, environmental toxins brain disease, how to protect your brain, brain health for women over 50, midlife brain health

E63 | The Networking Mistake Nobody Talks About (And How to Fix It)

Everyone talks about following up after networking events. Fewer people talk about why most of that follow-up goes nowhere — and almost nobody talks about the real opportunity that most business owners walk past every single time. In this episode, I react to networking expert Cass Thompson's five most common networking mistakes. I agree with most of what she says — but I also have some reservations, and I share them honestly. Then I reveal what I think is the biggest missed networking opportunity of all. It has nothing to do with your elevator pitch, your business card, or your LinkedIn profile. It has everything to do with how you walk into the room and who you're actually looking for when you get there. I also share a real example from my own event organizing background that shows exactly how collaboration between business owners can create opportunities none of them could create alone. This is also my second unscripted episode — let me know in the comments if you prefer this format. In this episode: * Cass Thompson's five networking mistakes and my honest reaction to each * Why the standard follow-up advice is harder to execute than it sounds * The one networking opportunity almost nobody is talking about * A real example of what business collaboration could look like in practice * Why your ideal client probably isn't in the networking room — and where the real opportunity is Mentioned in this episode: * Cass Thompson — networking and connections expert and podcaster * She Became CEO podcast — available wherever you listen to podcasts Have you made any of these networking mistakes? Are you planning to approach your next event differently? Leave a comment and let me know. And if you're enjoying the unscripted format, I'd love to hear that too. Follow or subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next.

E62 | What Is Your Podcast's Job? How I Redefined Mine After Trauma and Burnout

She Became CEO She Became CEO is a podcast for women over 50 who are building a business, stepping into leadership, or reinventing their professional lives after a major life transition. Many women reach midlife — after raising children, navigating hormonal changes, and carrying years of professional and personal responsibility — and discover that their next chapter is their most purposeful one. This podcast is built around that moment. Hosted by Ilze Berzina, brain health coach, NLP practitioner, and former CEO, the episodes cover entrepreneurship for women in midlife, female leadership, brain health and cognitive performance, hormones and energy, communication as a business skill, and financial clarity after 50. Guests include entrepreneurs, clinicians, and researchers. Solo episodes go deeper into what Ilze is learning and applying herself. This podcast exists for women who are done waiting and ready to lead — in business and in their communities. Topics: midlife entrepreneurship, women over 50, reinvention after 50, female leadership, brain health, menopause and performance, empty nester next chapter, building a business from experience, women's podcast, cognitive health, communication skills. New episodes on all major platforms.

E61 | Invisible Value: Monetizing the Skills You Take for Granted in Midlife

What if the most valuable thing you have is the thing you've stopped seeing? This episode started with a breakfast conversation. I had been listening to The Huberman Lab — Scott Galloway was the guest — and I couldn't stop thinking about what he said about the mentorship crisis facing young men today. The statistics are sobering: young men are four times as likely to kill themselves, three times as likely to become addicted, and twelve times as likely to be incarcerated as their female peers. And the single most common turning point? The loss of a male role model. I bring this home with a personal story about my older son and the rowing coach who stepped in when no one else did — teaching not just sport, but life skills, character, and what it means to be part of a tribe. But this episode isn't only about men or mentorship. It's about a blind spot most of us in midlife share: the inability to see the value in what we know, simply because we've always known it. I share my own version of this — how I turned my native Latvian language into a structured, properly priced digital offering while others were trading hours for dollars with no certainty of income. The larger question I'm asking in this episode is one worth sitting with: what did our elders used to do that the modern world forgot to replace? And what happens to a society when the people with the most to give don't realize they have anything to offer? In this episode: * What Scott Galloway and Andrew Huberman said about the male mentorship crisis — and why it matters beyond gender * The rowing coach who built a tribe and changed my son's life * Why the skills most invisible to you are often most valuable to others * The difference between trading time for money and building something with what you already know * Why midlife may be exactly the right time to start — not in spite of your experience, but because of it Resources & mentions: * The Huberman Lab podcast — episode featuring Scott Galloway * Sigil & Sisterhood gatherings — intimate in-person experiences in the Winston-Salem, NC area * ILZE BE LLC — SheBecameCEO.com If this episode resonated, share it with someone in midlife who has more to offer than they realize.