How to Lead Through Summer Without Letting Urgency Run the Work

How to Lead Through Summer Without Letting Urgency Run the Work

Summer can change the rhythm of work fast. PTO stacks up, vacations overlap, kids are out of school, approvals take longer, and suddenly every request starts to feel urgent. But every request does not deserve the same level of urgency. In this episode of We Are Women, Unapologetically, Jessica Cumming breaks down how to lead through the summer season without letting urgency run the work. This is a practical leadership reset for managers, project owners, senior individual contributors, caregivers, and high performers trying to keep work moving while real-life calendars keep shifting. You’ll learn how to sort work by what actually needs priority, progress, or a hold; how to build a coverage map before someone goes out on PTO; how to name what changes before saying yes to one more “Can we get this done before vacation?” request; and how to use a simple 10-minute summer reset to keep your team focused. Because urgency can get your attention, but it should not be what makes the plan. In this episode, we cover: How summer changes workplace rhythm, priorities, and decision-making Why every task should not receive the same level of urgency How to sort work into priority, progress, and hold How to plan around PTO, vacation coverage, and unavailable decision-makers Why leaders need to name tradeoffs before saying yes to urgent requests How to use the 10-minute summer reset with your team What to do when the calendar starts driving the work instead of leadership guiding it If you are leading a team, managing projects, navigating summer PTO, or trying to keep work moving without creating unnecessary pressure, this episode will help you slow the chaos, focus the work, and lead with more intention. Subscribe to We Are Women, Unapologetically, for bold conversations about leadership, career transitions, confidence, growth, and what it really means to lead without losing yourself. Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacumming04/] Inquire about having Jessica speak at your event [https://www.jcnewbeginnings.com/speaking]

Breaking Intergenerational Trauma Through Parenting with Mary Wilcox Smith

In this episode of We Are Women Unapologetically, Jessica Cumming sits down with Mary Wilcox Smith, speaker, author, entrepreneur, and parent coach, for an honest conversation about intergenerational trauma, parenting, perfectionism, resilience, and healing. Mary shares her journey from building businesses across three continents to raising four daughters, navigating one child’s serious medical needs, and confronting how childhood trauma, grief, abuse, and loss shaped the way she moved through life and motherhood. Together, Jessica and Mary explore how trauma is not always measured by what happens on the outside, but by what a child was able to handle at the time. They also discuss how parents can unintentionally pass down anxiety, perfectionism, and coping patterns, and how awareness can become the first step toward breaking generational cycles. Mary also introduces her book, The Microstep Method for the Overwhelmed Parent, and explains how small, practical microsteps can help parents build connection, emotional safety, and resilience without trying to overhaul everything at once. This episode is for anyone who has ever wondered how their past affects their parenting, confidence, relationships, or ability to let go. It is a powerful reminder that healing often begins with one honest moment, one new response, and one small step forward. Content Note: This episode includes discussion of suicide loss, abuse, trauma, and mental health Connect with Mary Wilcox Smith Learn more about Mary Wilcox Smith, her parent coaching services, speaking, and resources at her website: Website: Mary Smith Parent Coach / Mary Wilcox Smith Book: The Microstep Method for the Overwhelmed Parent, available on Amazon, Kindle, and Audible LinkedIn: Mary Wilcox Smith Instagram: Mary Wilcox Smith Connect with Jessica: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacumming04/ Website: https://www.jcnewbeginnings.com/speaking Clarity in 10: https://www.jcnewbeginnings.com/clarity-in-10

Advocate for Yourself in Healthcare: Patient Communication and Stem Cell Recovery with Dana Sherwin

In this episode of We Are Women, Unapologetically, Jessica Cumming sits down with Dana Sherwin, healthcare consultant, speaker, and stem cell transplant survivor, for a powerful conversation about patient advocacy, healthcare communication, and learning how to take an active role in your own care.Dana shares her journey from healthcare leadership to navigating a blood cancer disorder, preparing for a stem cell transplant, and discovering a renewed purpose in helping people communicate more effectively with doctors. This conversation explores why so many patients feel unprepared for medical appointments, how to ask better questions, and why understanding your body and health history matters before a diagnosis changes everything. Key takeaways from this episode: • Why patient advocacy starts before you are seriously ill • How to prepare for doctor’s appointments with better questions • Why knowing your symptoms, health history, and body matters • How healthcare communication can impact diagnosis, treatment, and confidence • What Dana’s stem cell transplant recovery taught her about purpose, resilience, and self-advocacy • Why being curious and taking care of yourself may be one of the most powerful health decisions you make. Connect with Dana SherwinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/desherwin/ Website: TheThinkingPatient.com Connect with Jessica Cumming LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacumming04/ Website: jcnewbeginnings.com

The Manager Aftershock: Leadership Burnout During Reorgs Nobody Talks About (Part 4)

Reorgs don’t just impact teams. They impact the managers trying to hold everything together. In Part 4 of this leadership mini-series, Jessica Cumming dives into the emotional and operational reality managers face after organizational change. The pressure to keep morale up, maintain productivity, answer impossible questions, and absorb the fallout without falling apart yourself. This episode explores: • Leadership burnout during reorgs • The hidden weight middle managers carry • How to lead with humanity without becoming the emotional dumping ground • Why managers end up over-functioning or emotionally disengaging • The downstream impact of layoffs, restructuring, and cost-cutting decisions • Communication strategies for leading teams through uncertainty • How to protect your energy while still protecting your people Jessica also shares personal stories from her leadership experience at Dell Technologies, including global team transitions, organizational restructuring, and what happens when leadership decisions create ripple effects teams are forced to absorb long after the announcement is over. If you’ve ever felt emotionally exhausted trying to lead through instability while pretending everything is “business as usual,” this conversation is for you. Because leadership during a reorg isn’t just about keeping work moving. It’s about staying human while everything around you changes. 🎧 Listen now and share with a leader who needs this reminder. Connect on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacumming04/]

The First 30 Days After a Reorg: How Leaders Rebuild Teams, Trust and Execution (Part 3)

The announcement is over.The org chart is updated.But this is the phase leaders almost never get coached on.Thirty days after a reorg is when the real operational problems start showing up.Priorities get blurry. Decision-making slows down. Meetings multiply. Teams hesitate. And underneath all of it is one question nobody wants to say out loud:“Okay… now what?”In Part 3 of this 4-part leadership series, Jessica Cumming breaks down what actually happens after organizational change and why so many teams struggle to regain momentum after a corporate reorg.Drawing from nearly 20 years leading through constant restructuring at Dell Technologies, Jessica shares a practical leadership playbook for rebuilding clarity, restoring ownership, and helping teams execute again without burning people out in the process.This episode covers:• The hidden leadership mistakes that stall teams after a reorg• Why “ownership fog” quietly destroys execution• How priority drift creates burnout and confusion• The operational trust leaders must rebuild after change• A practical framework for decision ownership and accountability• How to reduce meeting overload and decision paralysis• What leaders should communicate in the first 30 days after restructuring• How to restore confidence without fake positivity or corporate spinIf you’re leading through layoffs, restructuring, mergers, leadership turnover, or organizational change, this episode gives you practical strategies to stabilize your team and move forward with clarity and direction.Listen now and come back for Part 4, where the focus shifts to the leaders themselves and the emotional weight of carrying teams through constant change.Clarity in 10: https://www.jcnewbeginnings.com/clarity-in-10 Connect with Jessica on Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacumming04/]Book Jessica to Speak [https://www.jcnewbeginnings.com/speaking]