Advancing Women Podcast

Black Women’s Voices in The Women’s Rights Movement

February is black history month, an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans, and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. African American women have too often been overlooked in the history of our fight for gender equity. The struggle against racism, sexism, and all other-isms. All must be addressed simultaneously.

This episode honors and quotes many brilliant, brave, black women who fought and fight, to create a fairer and more equitable world.

Don’t miss this episode with the wisdom and inspiration of so many brilliant black women who have provided so much wisdom. These words have tremendous power and impact like the important work of Kimberlé Crenshaw who coined the phrase intersectionality. Crenshaw simply and poignantly said, "If we aren’t intersectional, some of us, the most vulnerable, are going to fall through the cracks."

This is at the heart of together we rise, bringing to the forefront that we must consider layers of oppression when we talk about advancing ALL women. As Audra Lord said, “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.”

Celebrate black history month and honor the many insights of so many brilliant black women including Sojourner Truth, Shirley Chisholm, Bell Hooks, Pauli Murray, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Audre Lorde, Angela Davis, Dr. Maya Angelou and more!

 

References:

Hooks, B. (1981). Ain't I a woman: Black women and feminism. Chicago

Hooks, B. Feminism Is for Everybody: Passionate Politics. Cambridge, MA :South End Press

About Kimberlé Crenshaw https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/5/20/18542843/intersectionality-conservatism-law-race-gender-discrimination

Sojourner Truth’s Ain’t I A Woman Speech (read by Dr. Maya Angelou) https://youtu.be/mM4JjuQeqDA

Truth, S. (Original Speech, 1851) https://thehermitage.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Sojourner-Truth_Aint-I-a-Woman_1851.pdf

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-desimone-phd-mba-ba00b88/

 

Fashion Should Be Fun for EveryBODY, Talking Body Positivity With Veronica Freund

Fashion is one of the most visible ways we express ourselves, yet too often we feel compelled to choose what is most flattering. We choose clothing that shrinks us or “sucks us in” versus what makes us feel joyful. Fashion should NOT just be for some, we should all be comfortable and confident enough to enjoy fashion, but that requires dismantling the negative external messaging around women’s bodies, perfection, and who is “deserving” of fashion.

Increasingly there is a movement to make fashion more inclusive. This episode of the Advancing Women Podcast with fashion, lifestyle, and body positivity influencer and content creator Veronica Freund explores positive body image, body neutrality, and learning to love ourselves enough right where we are now. As Veronica says, we need to “Stop waiting to be this “perfect version” of yourself to truly start living your life.”

In this episode, we explore dopamine dressing and enclothes cognition (how what we wear impacts how we feel!) because research shows that fashion looks better when you feel good on the inside, but you can also feel better on the inside when you love how you look on the outside. So, let's not wait to be a certain weight to enjoy fashion. All of us warrior women deserve to step into our power and feel fashionable and confident in clothing that makes us feel playful, sexy, and beautiful at any size.

Resources:

To learn more about Veronica:

https://veronicafreund.com/

https://www.tiktok.com/@veronicafreund

https://www.instagram.com/veronica_freund87/

https://twitter.com/veronica_freund

For more about Dr. DeSimone and the Advancing Women Podcast

https://advancingwomenpodcast.com/

https://www.instagram.com/advancingwomenpodcast/

https://www.facebook.com/advancingwomenpodcast/

Authentic Branding with Pamela Long from Little Big Brands

With the super bowl approaching many of us are going to be thinking about and talking about the ads. Recent studies show that despite an increased cultural focus on equality and empowerment movements, women report feeling that major brands are still not effectively acknowledging women’s priorities or communicating with women in an empowering or authentic manner.

This conversation is about more than entertainment. It's about continuing to challenge a media industry, organizations, and brands that too often misrepresent women, distort women’s experiences, and speak inauthentically to women. We are joined in this episode of the Advancing Women Podcast by Pamela Long, Partner at Little Big Brands, a brand strategy and design firm to talk about the importance of “speaking to women, understanding what they want, what motivates them, and how they want to be portrayed.”

We have to demand more! Marketing and the media play a major role in how women and girls see themselves, so we must continue to challenge unrealistic portrayals and misrepresentations and champion authentic representation. We deserve better!

Learn more about Pamela and Little Big Brands here:

https://www.littlebigbrands.com/

https://www.instagram.com/littlebigbrands/

https://www.facebook.com/littlebigbrands

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamelalongatlittlebig/

 

Learn more about Dr. DeSimone and the Advancing Women Podcast:

https://advancingwomenpodcast.com/

https://www.instagram.com/advancingwomenpodcast/

Bold, Audacious Goals

There is NOT an expiration on our goals. It’s our lives and our goals, so it should be on our timeline. We must be mindful though, that our timeline isn’t when things get “less busy” or when “you’re ready.” Here’s the thing warriors, things will NEVER not be busy. You will not likely ever find that elusive “more time” and there is no “perfect time.”

We don’t want our goals to be on someone else’s timeline, but we also don’t want the internal saboteur to talk us out of moving forward with our goals. Because warriors, you were meant to have bold, audacious, meaningful goals!

In this episode of the Advancing Women Podcast, I talk about WHY we should have BOLD, RADICAL, AUDACIOUS goals and how to recognize and overcome the internal and external barriers that keep us from moving towards our goals.

 

Episodes referenced in this episode:

Bold Radical Audacious Goals: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bold-radical-audacious-goals-b-r-a-g/id1569849100?i=1000546833576

Conquering Resistance: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conquering-resistance/id1569849100?i=1000559405192

New Year’s Resolutions: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/afraid-you-wont-keep-new-years-resolutions-make-them-anyway/id1569849100?i=1000591952163

For more about Dr. DeSimone and the Advancing Women Podcast

https://advancingwomenpodcast.com/

https://www.instagram.com/advancingwomenpodcast/

Afraid You Won’t Keep New Years’ Resolutions? Make Them Anyway!

Happy New Year! In this first Advancing Women Podcast episode of 2023, we’re talking fresh starts, blank slates, and resolutions.

Research shows that the most popular New Year’s resolutions are about self-improvement (living healthier getting happier, improving relationships, meeting goals.) Yet research also shows that less than 10% of people actually reach their goals. So, this reality leaves many of us questioning the point of it all – why even bother? This episode is about the good that can come from hope and inspiration. Having goals, living with intention, and a desire to grow and improve, are good things, important things that can lead to more happiness, fulfillment, and purpose.

#tunein to better understand the advantages of resolutions and how we can benefit from shifting our #mindset from goals to systems and habits. This episode is about deemphasizing the goal in favor of focusing on the habits and systems that help us move toward our goals!

 

Links to episodes referenced:

Bold Radical Audacious Goals (B.R.A.G). Advancing Women Podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bold-radical-audacious-goals-b-r-a-g/id1569849100?i=1000546833576

Achieving Goals: Mindset, Skillset, Toolset. Advancing Women Podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/achieving-goals-mindset-skillset-toolset/id1569849100?i=1000548184285

For more about Dr. DeSimone and the Advancing Women Podcast

https://advancingwomenpodcast.com/

https://www.instagram.com/advancingwomenpodcast/

Have a Hygge Holiday!

As women, we can find ourselves feeling more stressed with all the holiday prep that so often disproportionately drains us of our time and our calm. We feel like if we don’t do all the things, others will be disappointed, or things will fall through the cracks. So, we do everything in our power to mediate that, often at great personal cost to our comfort and joy.

This episode focuses on YOUR comfort, joy, calm, and cozy. Learn more in this episode of the Advancing Women Podcast about the Danish practice of Hygge (coziness & comfort) and the art of joyful living. For all you do to care and do for others, take a little time this holiday season to get cozy, you deserve it!

Tidings of Hygge & Joy Resources

The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country by Helen Russell

The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking

The HYGGE manifesto https://medium.com/10-bullets-100-words-book-summary/10-bullets-100-words-book-the-little-book-of-hygge-by-meik-wiking-3656e2b8035c

Joyful: The surprising power of ordinary things to create extraordinary happiness by Ingrid Fetell Lee

The Joy of Less: A Minimalist Guide to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify

For more about Dr. DeSimone and the Advancing Women Podcast

https://advancingwomenpodcast.com/

https://www.instagram.com/advancingwomenpodcast/

https://www.facebook.com/advancingwomenpodcast/

All-Or-Nothing Thinking: What It Is, and How to Stop It!

In this episode of the Advancing Women Podcast, we're tackling cognitive distortions. A cognitive distortion is an assumption we make based on minimal evidence, or without considering the evidence. It is an exaggerated or irrational thought pattern that causes us to perceive reality inaccurately. We all engage in cognitive distortions.

We can overgeneralize and interpret one negative event or mistake as a pattern of defeat. We can mentally filter discounting our positive qualities and accomplishments and dwelling on the negatives. We jump to conclusions “mind-reading” others’ interpretation of our actions assuming others are judging us negatively, even when there is no definitive evidence. We can magnify or minimize our experiences blowing negative experiences or mistakes out of proportion and minimizing positive experiences and contributions. We can internalize blame for things we weren’t responsible for.

AND…one of the most common and potentially hindering cognitive distortions that we engage in is the all-or-nothing distortion. Looking at things in absolutes. Black and white versus shades of gray. We are all susceptible to all-or-nothing thinking. We easily recognize this when we’re talking about food and dieting, but we don’t always see it in other areas of our lives or our work. How one mistake or misstep can lead to us harping on small mistakes or leave us feeling like we might as well just throw in the towel.

Here’s the good news though. There ARE steps we can take to combat cognitive distortions. In this episode, I talk about how we can begin to identify cognitive distortions and put ourselves in a position to shift our mindset in ways that serve our emotional happiness and advancement.

References

Bollen, J., Ten Thij, M., Breithaupt, F., Barron, A. T., Rutter, L. A., Lorenzo-Luaces, L., & Scheffer, M. (2021). Historical language records reveal a surge of cognitive distortions in recent decades. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(30), e2102061118.

Abatecola, G., Caputo, A., & Cristofaro, M. (2018). Reviewing cognitive distortions in managerial decision making: toward an integrative co-evolutionary framework. Journal of Management Development.

https://www.betterup.com/blog/all-or-nothing-thinking

For more about Dr. DeSimone and the Advancing Women Podcast

https://advancingwomenpodcast.com/

https://www.instagram.com/advancingwomenpodcast/

https://www.facebook.com/advancingwomenpodcast/

Surviving Workplace Bullying with Zenica Chatman

According to a survey by the Workplace Bullying Institute, one in four American workers have said that they have dealt with workplace bullying. Too often, when women experience workplace discrimination and bullying, we internalize that we are the problem and that does NOT serve us.
In this episode of the Advancing Women Podcast, I speak with certified coach, speaker, and anti-workforce bullying advocate Zenica Chatman to talk about how women can stand up against workplace bullying and help create work environments that are safe and equitable. Zenica authored the Fast Company article Workplace Bullying Eroded my Confidence at Work. Here's how I Recovered. She is the creator of Surviving Corporate Detox group coaching program which helps women establish a healthy relationship with work putting us back into the driver’s seat of our careers by helping us create an unbreakable attitude and unshakeable confidence no matter how toxic the workplace culture is!

#tunein and get unstuck! #advancingwomenpodast

Reference:

https://www.amazon.com/Inclusion-Purpose-Intersectional-Approach-Belonging/dp/0262046555

https://hbr.org/2022/09/the-psychological-toll-of-being-the-only-woman-of-color-at-work

Fast Company Article, By Zenica Chatman: Workplace bullying eroded my confidence at work. Here’s how I recovered: https://www.fastcompany.com/90793262/workplace-bullying-eroded-my-confidence-at-work-heres-how-i-recovered

Learn more about Zenica Chatman and her Surviving Corporate Detox Program:

https://www.zenicachatman.com/

Surviving Corporate Program https://www.zenicachatman.com/group-coaching

https://www.fastcompany.com/90793262/workplace-bullying-eroded-my-confidence-at-work-heres-how-i-recovered

Unlearn and Restore with Alicia Jabbar

I often say when you sit with warriors, the conversation is different! We all need both challenge and support to thrive in our careers and our lives, but this is especially important for women. As women, we face unique biases and barriers that make #mentors, #sponsors, #coaches, and #community even more important. “When women connect in groups, they experience a sense of validation and inspiration that breaks down the barriers limiting their fully expressed leadership in the world.”

There is wisdom in women’s shared experiences. There is power in the tribe!

I am very excited to talk with guest Alicia Jabbar in this episode. Alicia is a coach and facilitator who's designed and delivered more than one hundred women's, leadership programs to dozens of organizations and the public. She is an expert on coaching women working in male-dominated industries. Don’t miss this episode of the Advancing Women Podcast where we talk about unlearning limiting social conditioning and restoring the nature of who we are as leaders.

Reference:

Learn more about Alicia Jabbar https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajabbar/

To learn more about Alicia’s free November 17th workshop click here:  https://www.aliciajabbar.com/womens-leadership-collective

Alicia is launching a new group program in early 2023. Sign up for her newsletter on her website to learn when that becomes available.  https://www.aliciajabbar.com/womens-leadership

For more about Dr. DeSimone and the Advancing Women Podcast

https://advancingwomenpodcast.com/

https://www.instagram.com/advancingwomenpodcast/

https://www.facebook.com/advancingwomenpodcast/

The Dark Side of Beauty with Schonte Hamilton

“We live in an age of ugly beauty. Reverence for beauty is just an escape from reality, it is the perpetual adolescent in us refusing to accept a flawed world” ~ author, Nancy Etcoff (Survival of the Prettiest).

Research shows that society has long impacted our standards of beauty, playing a role in affecting beauty trends, body image, and self-esteem, and increasingly this is exacerbated by social media.

In this episode of the Advancing Women Podcast, I talk with actress, singer, and songwriter Schonte Hamilton. Schonte is passionate about promoting body positivity and acceptance. She is the CEO of F.A.W.O.C. (For All Women of Color), a company that empowers women of all colors, in the world of entertainment.

We explore deeply entrenched beauty standards and consequences including digitized dysmorphia and the dangerous, even life-threatening lengths women go to in attaining unrealistic beauty standards. We talk about money, power, capitalism, and patriarchy  in a multi-billion-dollar industry that creates images of beauty and then “peddles them as opium for the female masses.” Don’t miss this important and timely conversation.

Reference

The Dark Side of Beauty: http://schontehamilton.reclaim.hosting/Visualcommunicationproject/

Henriques, M., & Patnaik, D. (2020). Social media and its effects on beauty. In Beauty-Cosmetic Science, Cultural Issues and Creative Developments. IntechOpen.

Verrastro, V., Liga, F., Cuzzocrea, F., & Gugliandolo, M. C. (2020). Fear the Instagram: beauty stereotypes, body image, and Instagram use in a sample of male and female adolescents. Qwerty-Open and Interdisciplinary Journal of Technology, Culture, and Education, 15(1), 31-49.

https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/73271

For more about Dr. DeSimone and the Advancing Women Podcast

https://advancingwomenpodcast.com/

https://www.instagram.com/advancingwomenpodcast/

https://www.facebook.com/advancingwomenpodcast/