Ellevate Network: Conversations With Women Changing the Face of Business

E503 | Belonging Science: The Metrics That Make Inclusion Real

Host Anusha welcomes Aaisha Hamid [https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaishahamid/], VP of Belonging & Engagement at Alliant [https://alliant.com/] Insurance Services, for a clear, practical tour of belonging science. Aaisha defines belonging as the fit between a person and a setting—and explains why simple survey questions miss the mark. She maps seven core dimensions (from psychological safety and authenticity to recognition, wellness, and professional investment) and shares how precise measurement links belonging to outcomes like productivity and the employee Net Promoter Score over the long term. Drawing on her own journey—from feeling she had to “shrink” in meetings to finding respect and voice at Alliant—Aaisha shows how manager behavior is the hinge that turns strategy into culture. The pair dig into courage as a leadership necessity (interrupting exclusion in the moment), and agency & trust as antidotes to micromanagement, with practical ways to delegate, cross-train, and de-risk mistakes. Aaisha also spotlights the Alliant Insurance Foundation’s work creating pathways into the industry. A crisp, research-backed blueprint for leaders ready to operationalize inclusion. Thank you to Alliant [https://alliant.com/] for sponsoring this podcast. Want to be considered for the podcast? Send an email to ashton@ellevatenetwork.com [ashton@ellevatenetwork.com] with your topic focus and a short bio. To learn more about Ellevate Network and how we’re building a community that supports women+ at every stage of their careers, visit ellevatenetwork.com [https://www.ellevatenetwork.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com] or reach out to info@ellevatenetwork.com [info@ellevatenetwork.com].

E502 | Manage Yourself to Lead Others with Margaret C. Andrews

In this thought-provoking episode of the Ellevate Podcast, host Ally McDonald sits down with leadership expert, Harvard instructor, and MYLO Center founder Margaret C. Andrews for an honest, insightful conversation about what it truly means to lead. Drawing from her decades of research, teaching, and executive experience, Margaret shares the deeply personal origin story behind her new book, Managing Yourself to Lead Others—a moment when blunt feedback forced her to confront her own blind spots and reshape the way she showed up as a leader. Together, Ally and Margaret explore the often-overlooked foundation of great leadership: understanding and managing yourself. They discuss why so many high performers struggle with self-awareness, how intention and behavior can clash, and why emotions—far from being obstacles—are critical data that inform our decisions and our impact on others. Through compelling examples from Margaret’s work with leaders around the world, they unpack the patterns, challenges, and transformative shifts that help people bridge the gap between who they think they are and how others experience them. This episode is rich with reflection, psychology, and practical wisdom. Whether you’re an emerging leader or a seasoned executive, Margaret’s insights will challenge you to pause, look inward, and consider how mastering yourself is the key to elevating not just your work—but everyone around you. Manage Yourself to Lead Others: Why Great Leadership Begins with Self-Understanding [https://www.amazon.com/Manage-Yourself-Lead-Others-Self-Understanding/dp/1541705688/ref=sr_1_1?crid=9RQ5BWC7J81V&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.3Bm_t06vwCM4mKPqhSgOjRRVZ9oi3r-gTZi8S4z6dra5CBAGoVtJSpIsDW25C4LrSBgYitNPUq0nUauaW8op6PRP8SfpCErBNsTwW9HFFwkO9Saa7OXzQEZZhRKMJqEFIROtCjkns-InGoxmIeZ7XH7X-jyPb8R8xVLNEU3JAuH4KDmGWLZXCsqr868WRRrzznpeRdvgPEW1JpG1KUopF1OlatW1q9c1VC_pSq6zJ8c.RyGCrYUV7WJJOCV6nH1t2sgyseRQaaXms_Qvb-2Lkds&dib_tag=se&keywords=margaret+andrews&qid=1747148123&s=books&sprefix=margaret+andrews%2Cstripbooks%2C110&sr=1-1] By Margaret Andrews [https://www.margaretandrews.com/]. To learn more about Ellevate Network and how we’re building a community that supports women+ at every stage of their careers, visit ellevatenetwork.com [https://www.ellevatenetwork.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com] or reach out to info@ellevatenetwork.com [info@ellevatenetwork.com].

E501 | Moving Forward Towards an Unknown Future

In this candid, tools-forward conversation, Ingrid Goldbloom Bloch—founder of Mosaic Careers—shares how to use design thinking to navigate real constraints and real possibilities. She explains why human problems aren’t linear, how to distinguish circumstances from thoughts, and how small reframes shift feelings, actions, and results. Ingrid introduces the idea of “gravity problems” (unchangeable realities like caregiving load or a tight budget) and redirects energy toward what is changeable: the stories you tell yourself, the skills you emphasize, the micro-experiments you try, and the support you invite in through radical collaboration. Drawing on exercises like Odyssey Planning and the “8–12 lives” thought experiment, Ingrid helps listeners surface the themes that run across their many possible futures—then translate those themes into low-risk pilots and resume narratives that point where they’re going, not just where they’ve been. She also tackles time pressure with her “tiger time” practice (non-negotiable blocks for high-energy work), attention batching, and matching tasks to your natural energy curve. Finally, Ingrid invites a kinder inner dialogue—asking whether you’ve become your own toxic boss, and how models like Internal Family Systems can help you notice, name, and soften the inner critic. The result is a grounded roadmap for moving forward toward an unknown future—one reframe, one micro-step, and one protected block of time at a time. Thank you to our sponsor Gies College of Business Want to be considered for the podcast? Send an email to ashton@ellevatenetwork.com with your topic focus and a short bio. To learn more about Ellevate Network and how we’re building a community that supports women+ at every stage of their careers, visit ellevatenetwork.com [https://www.ellevatenetwork.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com] or reach out to info@ellevatenetwork.com.

E500 | The Mindset of Modern Leadership

Founder & CEO of Paravis Partners and host of HBR’s Coaching Real Leaders, Muriel M. Wilkins dives into the inner game of leadership: the beliefs that silently cap your impact. With Anusha, she demystifies adult development theory (it’s not change, it’s range), shows how to align mindset with increasing complexity, and walks through seven common limiting beliefs she’s seen across 300+ senior clients—from “I need to be involved” to “I know I’m right” and “I can’t say no.” You’ll learn when those beliefs help, when they hinder scale, and how to reframe them so you can delegate, bring people along, and make better decisions under uncertainty. Muriel also shares how to coach peers (and boards) by starting with curiosity and goals, plus a candid look at writing Leadership Unblocked and why this conversation belongs in the corporate arena, not just parenting or wellness. Thank you to our sponsor Gies College of Business. Connect with Muriel Wilkins www.murielwilkins.com [http://www.murielwilkins.com] Want to be considered for the podcast? Send an email to ashton@ellevatenetwork.com with your topic focus and a short bio. To learn more about Ellevate Network and how we’re building a community that supports women+ at every stage of their careers, visit ellevatenetwork.com [https://www.ellevatenetwork.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com] or reach out to info@ellevatenetwork.com.

E499 | The Power of Being Unstuck with Helen Hanison

Host Anusha sits down with Helen Hanison—leadership speaker, former board-level PR director, and author of Unstuck: A Smart Guide to Purposeful Career Redesign—to decode what being “stuck” really looks like for high achievers. Helen shares her formula: start by acknowledging stuckness, then design a personal career compass (strengths, values, purpose), and iterate using Agile Career Design. They explore practical tactics like job crafting inside your current role, running low-risk pilot tests, and “collecting conversations” instead of stiff networking. You’ll hear how to talk about short stints or zig-zags in interviews, how to curate your narrative on LinkedIn, and why it’s never too late to redesign a career that feels alive and aligned. Helen also pulls back the curtain on bringing her book "Unstuck" to life via a hybrid publishing process—and why support and accountability turn insight into action. Thank you to Gies College of Business for sponsoring this Ellevate Podcast. Want to be considered for the podcast? Send an email to ashton@ellevatenetwork.com with your topic focus and a short bio. To learn more about Ellevate Network and how we’re building a community that supports women+ at every stage of their careers, visit ellevatenetwork.com [https://www.ellevatenetwork.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com] or reach out to info@ellevatenetwork.com.