She Said / She Said with Laura Cox Kaplan

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There's something I often hear from accomplished women: Who am I if I walk away from the thing I've built? And why haven't I figured this out yet? If that's where you are, sitting in a role that no longer fits, unsure whether your experience translates, not quite confident enough to leap, She Said / She Said is built for exactly this moment. Each week we tackle the building blocks of influence from the inside out: identity, Experience Equity™, personal brand, and how to pivot and thrive through all the seasons. I've spent 30+ years helping people and organizations figure out how to position themselves, build influence, and move outcomes, but it was much harder when I had to do that for myself. That's what I bring to every conversation. If you're done with empty inspiration and ready for real tools, you're in the right place. Some weeks I'm joined by a great guest. Other weeks I deliver a mini masterclass on the topics I know you're wrestling with, because I've been there too. I've built this show from a humble podcast into a growing community of women who've been exactly where you are and are joining me as we help each other navigate, grow, and thrive into what's next. Because lasting influence isn't built in leaps. It's compounded, and it expands exponentially when we connect and share. Join us.

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November 13, 202644 min

How to cultivate joy with author, profession, and Harry Styles megafan S.C. Perot

Episode 378: She Said/She Said Podcast with Laura Cox Kaplan Guest: S.C. Perot, author "Styles of Joy" What if finding more joy in life isn't about doing more, achieving more, or even changing your circumstances, but simply learning to pay attention? In this episode host Laura Cox Kaplan welcomes S.C. Perot, author of Styles of Joy, for an inspiring and often humorous conversation about the power of intentionally cultivating joy, especially during life's most challenging transitions. A Stanford-trained attorney whose life took an unexpected turn during the pandemic, Perot found herself navigating divorce, career uncertainty, and the loss of the life she had imagined. What happened next was equally unexpected: a newfound love of Harry Styles' music led her to attend 17 concerts in five countries in just 10 months. Along the way, she discovered something far more meaningful than a new musical obsession. Her experiences became the foundation for Styles of Joy, a book exploring how paying attention to what brings us joy can transform the way we experience our lives. Now a professor at Vanderbilt University, Perot shares how her unconventional journey helped her rethink the relationship between joy, gratitude, productivity, connection, and personal growth. Together, Laura and S.C. explore why joy isn't a luxury or an indulgence. It's an essential part of a meaningful and fulfilling life, and something we can become more intentional about cultivating. In this episode, you'll discover: Why cultivating joy begins with paying attention to the world around us. How music, shared experiences, and human connection can create powerful moments of collective joy. Why joy and happiness aren't necessarily the same thing, and why our definitions of joy evolve throughout life. The surprising relationship between joy and gratitude, including why forced gratitude can sometimes be counterproductive. How our obsession with productivity can keep us from making room for the experiences that enrich our lives. Why following an unexpected interest or passion can help us rediscover parts of ourselves during life's transitions. How skills, relationships, and seemingly unrelated experiences can become valuable assets in the next chapter of our lives. Why pursuing joy is not self-indulgent, but an important way to sustain ourselves and the people who depend on us. The big takeaway: Joy doesn't always require a grand adventure or a major life change. Sometimes it begins by putting down the phone, looking up, and noticing the small moments that make life richer. Whether you're navigating a career pivot, a personal transition, or simply wondering how to create more space for the things you love, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on why joy deserves a more intentional place in everyday life. About the guest S.C. Perot is the author of Styles of Joy, a former practicing attorney, and a professor at Vanderbilt University. Drawing on her personal experiences with divorce, reinvention, music, and unexpected adventure, she explores the importance of recognizing, pursuing, and sharing joy. About the podcast Hosted by Laura Cox Kaplan, She Said/She Said Podcast explores the ideas, insights, and experiences that help women navigate life's pivots, embrace personal growth, and thrive through change. Through conversations about leadership, resilience, creativity, relationships, and positive psychology, the podcast helps listeners make more intentional choices about who they are and who they want to become. LOOKING FOR MORE SHE SAID/SHE SAID? You’ll find all our episodes & lots more content: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com LET’S CONNECT! Instagram: @lauracoxkaplan LinkedIn: Laura Cox Kaplan Contact: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com Email: info@shesaid.media PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST Love the show? Please consider leaving a review on Spotify, iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube, or wherever you listen. Your feedback helps shape the podcast and brings more amazing content your way! MORE SPECIAL OFFERS FOR SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST LISTENERS: Use the link below to shop all of our special offers and receive exclusive She Said listener discounts: Get them at: https://MyDeals.Page/1w7d Be sure to use our Promo Code: SHESAID at checkout Note: She Said/She Said Podcast is a weekly production of She Said/She Said Media

November 6, 202622 min

Start Before You Are Ready: You have more tools than you think with Laura Cox Kaplan

Episode 377 | She Said/She Said Podcast with Laura Cox Kaplan What if you're more prepared to start something new than you realize? And what might become possible if you stopped waiting until you had everything figured out? Nine years ago, Laura Cox Kaplan took a chance on an idea that would become She Said/She Said Podcast. She wasn't a podcast expert and didn't know exactly where it would lead. But she recognized that the experiences, skills, and relationships she'd already built could be used in an entirely different way. Now, 377 episodes and more than 400 hours of conversations later, Laura shares what she's learned, and, more importantly, how those lessons can help you navigate change, recognize new possibilities, and take steps toward creating something meaningful in your own life. Whether you're considering a career pivot, exploring a new interest, rethinking what success looks like, or simply feeling ready for something different, this episode offers practical insights into how to begin, even when the path ahead isn't entirely clear. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN YOU HAVE MORE TOOLS THAN YOU THINK. YOU DON'T HAVE TO START FROM SCRATCH. CLARITY OFTEN COMES FROM ACTION. YOUR DEFINITION OF SUCCESS CAN EVOLVE. UNCERTAINTY DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN YOU'RE ON THE WRONG PATH. CREATIVITY AND CURIOSITY EXPAND WHAT'S POSSIBLE. YOU DON'T HAVE TO KNOW THE END GAME. SMALL STEPS CAN CREATE BIGGER POSSIBILITIES. FIVE QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU PUT THESE LESSONS INTO PRACTICE What do you already have that you might be overlooking? Think beyond your résumé to the strengths, experiences, relationships, and interests you've accumulated. What keeps capturing your curiosity or giving you energy, even if you don't know where it might lead? Does your definition of success reflect the life you want today—or expectations from an earlier chapter? Where are you waiting for certainty when taking one small step might actually help you find clarity? What's one small step you could take this week, drawing on what you already have, to explore something you've been curious about? THE BIG TAKEAWAY You don't need to have everything figured out to begin something new. You can value what you've already built while recognizing that what comes next might look very different. And the experiences, strengths, relationships, and interests you've accumulated, what Laura refers to as your Experience Equity, give you more to draw on than you may realize. The challenge isn't necessarily acquiring more experience. It's learning to recognize the value of what you already have, consider how you might use it differently, and give yourself permission to begin. LET'S CONNECT! What's something you've been curious about trying but haven't quite given yourself permission to begin? Laura would love to hear what you're exploring, creating, or considering for your next chapter. Instagram: @lauracoxkaplan LinkedIn: Laura Cox Kaplan Contact: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com Email: info@shesaid.media PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST Love the show? Please consider leaving a review on Spotify, iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube, or wherever you listen. Your feedback helps shape the podcast and brings more amazing content your way! CHECK OUT THESE SPECIAL OFFERS FOR SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST LISTENERS: Use the link below to shop all of our special offers and receive exclusive She Said listener discounts: Get them at: https://MyDeals.Page/1w7d Be sure to use our Promo Code: SHESAID at checkout Note: She Said/She Said Podcast is a weekly production of She Said/She Said Media.

October 30, 202639 min

From Writing in Carpool to Bestselling Author: Turning “Someday” Into “Right Now” with Christine Gunderson

She Said/She Said Podcast with host Laura Cox Kaplan Episode 376 Guest: Christine Gunderson, bestselling author What do you love doing but keep postponing because you don’t know where it will lead, or even how to carve out time for it? Amazon bestselling Author Christine Gunderson joins Laura Cox Kaplan on She Said/She Said Podcast for a conversation about creativity, reinvention, navigating rejection, and making time for meaningful work before anyone is paying you to do it. Christine’s path took her from a rural North Dakota farm to television journalism and Capitol Hill, where she and Laura first worked together as press secretaries. After stepping away to raise her children, Christine returned to a longtime passion: writing fiction. After six unpublished manuscripts and years of rejection, her breakthrough came when she began drawing on her firsthand experience of motherhood. Her humor, observation skills, and understanding of female friendship came together in the voice readers now recognize in her books: Friends with Secrets and Behind White Picket Fences. Their conversation brings Laura’s concept of Experience Equity to life: recognizing and activating the skills, relationships, interests, and lessons we accumulate across all parts of our lives to create new possibilities. In this episode, you’ll hear: How Christine found her voice by drawing more fully on her lived experience. How she made time to write and discovered when she did her best work. What changed when writing became a career with contracts, deadlines, and expectations. How she uses trusted readers and editorial feedback to strengthen her work. Why she chose traditional publishing and the trade-offs she considered. How female friendships provided vital support for her creative ambitions. What her children learned from watching her pursue writing and navigate rejection. Whether you’re exploring a career pivot, returning to an interest, or wondering how your experience could translate into something new, this conversation offers practical encouragement for taking your next step. Connect with Christine: Website and book club inquiries: christinegunderson.com Instagram: @GunderChristine Substack newsletter: Notes on Love and Laundry FEEDBACK & COMMUNITY: We would love to hear from you! Which part of this episode resonated with you most? Connect with Laura and share your thoughts: LET’S CONNECT! Instagram: @lauracoxkaplan LinkedIn: Laura Cox Kaplan Contact: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com Email: info@shesaid.media LOOKING FOR MORE SHE SAID/SHE SAID? You’ll find all our episodes & lots more content: LauraCoxKaplan.com or shesaidshesaidpodcast.com PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST Love the show? Please consider leaving a review on Spotify, iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube, or wherever you listen. Your feedback helps shape the podcast and brings more amazing content your way! SPECIAL OFFERS FOR SHE SAID/SHE SAID LISTENERS: Use the link below to shop all of our special offers and receive exclusive She Said listener discounts: Get them at: https://MyDeals.Page/1w7d Be sure to use our Promo Code: SHESAID at checkout About She Said/She Said Podcast: Hosted by Laura Cox Kaplan, She Said/She Said Podcast, a weekly production of she said/she said media, explores personal and professional evolution, identity, ambition, creativity, relationships, and the experiences that help us build what comes next.

October 23, 202611 min

What Deserves Your Yes? A powerful tool for deciding

She Said/She Said Podcast EPISODE 375 Solo Episode with Host Laura Cox Kaplan, who shares a powerful tool for deciding between competing priorities. A good opportunity can still be the wrong commitment for the life you want now. You’re capable, you care about the work, and people trust you to deliver. But before you say yes, there’s another question worth asking: What will this commitment make possible, and what will it crowd out? In Episode 375 of She Said/She Said Podcast, host Laura Cox Kaplan shares how to create a personal manifesto: a working collection of “I believe” statements that helps you clarify your priorities, evaluate opportunities, and make more intentional decisions. Drawing on her transition from a career in government, business, communications, and public policy to creating She Said/She Said, Laura explores how your experience, strengths, and relationships can help you build something new—and why your ambition deserves room to evolve. Whether you’re considering a career change, a board or volunteer commitment, a new project, or how to protect time for relationships, this episode offers practical questions to help you decide what deserves your yes. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to write a personal manifesto, starting with just five or six convictions. Why being good at something doesn’t settle whether you should keep doing it. How to recognize the hidden costs of a commitment, including mental bandwidth. Why changing ambition can be useful information about what you want next. How to bring relationships, joy, meaning, and well-being into decisions about your time. How returning to your convictions can help when doubt or FOMO follows a decision. Listener resource Find the personal manifesto worksheet and create your own categories at LauraCoxKaplan.com . If this episode brings someone to mind, share it with her. And follow She Said/She Said for more conversations about influence, identity, ambition, and using what you’ve learned to build your next chapter. LOOKING FOR MORE SHE SAID/SHE SAID? You’ll find all our episodes & lots more content: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com LET’S CONNECT! Instagram: @lauracoxkaplan LinkedIn: Laura Cox Kaplan Contact: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com Email: info@shesaid.media PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST Love the show? Please consider leaving a review on Spotify, iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube, or wherever you listen. Your feedback helps shape the podcast and brings more amazing content your way! MORE SPECIAL OFFERS FOR SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST LISTENERS: Use the link below to shop all of our special offers and receive exclusive She Said listener discounts: Get them at: https://MyDeals.Page/1w7d Be sure to use our Promo Code: SHESAID at checkout Note: She Said/She Said Podcast is a weekly production of She Said/She Said Media.

October 2, 202638 min

What We Don’t See Behind Success with UK fashion designer Edeline Lee

She Said/She Said Podcast with Laura Cox Kaplan Episode 374 Guest: UK Fashion Designer Edeline Lee What do we miss when we see only the finished result? In Episode 374 of She Said/She Said Podcast, host Laura Cox Kaplan talks with London-based fashion designer Edeline Lee about the work, people, and persistence behind a moment of success. At her recent London show, Edeline brought her team’s sewing and fittings into view alongside the models (professional ballerinas), revealing the collaboration behind the finished collection. Edeline’s designs have been worn by Catherine, Princess of Wales; Dame Helen Mirren; Queen Rania of Jordan; and Taylor Swift. In this conversation, Edeline shares how she pursued fashion despite her family’s hopes for a different career, how her idea of the “future lady” guides the clothes she creates, and what 15 years of building a brand have taught her about creativity and leadership. Laura and Edeline explore how definitions of success and thriving can change with us. Three important takeaways: What goes into a finished success. Edeline’s London show revealed the team, repeated practice, and last-minute work behind the images audiences usually see. How experiences outside your chosen path can shape your work. Edeline studied sociology while pursuing fashion on the side, and that background still informs how she thinks about women’s lives and designs for them. Why success calls for reflection as well as persistence. After fifteen years building her brand, Edeline is making space to ask what she wants next, and what will help her and her team thrive along the way. She Said/She Said Podcast is part of host and creator Laura Cox Kaplan’s broader platform of work exploring the choices, relationships, and conditions that help us thrive. FEEDBACK & COMMUNITY: Which part of this episode resonated with you most? We’d love to hear! Contact us using the links below. LET’S CONNECT! Instagram: @lauracoxkaplan LinkedIn: Laura Cox Kaplan Contact: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com Email: info@shesaid.media LOOKING FOR MORE SHE SAID/SHE SAID? You’ll find all our episodes & lots more content: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST Love the show? Please consider leaving a review on Spotify, iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube, or wherever you listen. Your feedback helps shape the podcast and brings more amazing content your way! MORE SPECIAL OFFERS FOR SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST LISTENERS: Use the link below to shop all of our special offers and receive exclusive She Said listener discounts: Get them at: https://MyDeals.Page/1w7d Be sure to use our Promo Code: SHESAID at checkout Note: She Said/She Said Podcast is a weekly production of She Said/She Said Media.

September 25, 202620 min

BURU Founder Morgan Hutchinson on Bipolar Blonde, Identity & Breaking the Stigma

Episode 373: BURU Founder Morgan Hutchinson on Bipolar Blonde, Identity & Breaking the Stigma Morgan Hutchinson, founder of the fashion brand Buru and author of Bipolar Blonde, joins She Said/She Said Podcast host Laura Cox Kaplan for a candid conversation about living with bipolar disorder, mental health stigma, identity, and the power of being fully seen. Morgan shares her experience with diagnosis and mania, why she decided to tell this deeply personal story, and how shame can keep people from seeking the support they need. She also reflects on the role her mother, husband Brett, and close friends played in helping her navigate some of the most difficult moments of her life. The conversation explores motherhood, marriage, faith, vulnerability, and the challenge of separating a diagnosis from a sense of self. Morgan and Laura originally met through The Southern C. Bipolar Blonde is published by Hoffman Media. Content note: This episode includes discussion of mental illness and a suicide attempt. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. FEEDBACK & COMMUNITY: Which part of this episode resonated with you most? We’d love to hear! Contact us using the links below. LET’S CONNECT! Instagram: @lauracoxkaplan LinkedIn: Laura Cox Kaplan Contact: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com Email: info@shesaid.media LOOKING FOR MORE SHE SAID/SHE SAID? You’ll find all our episodes & lots more content: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST Love the show? Please consider leaving a review on Spotify, iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube, or wherever you listen. Your feedback helps shape the podcast and brings more amazing content your way! MORE SPECIAL OFFERS FOR SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST LISTENERS: Use the link below to shop all of our special offers and receive exclusive She Said listener discounts: Get them at: https://MyDeals.Page/1w7d Be sure to use our Promo Code: SHESAID at checkout Note: She Said/She Said Podcast is a weekly production of She Said/She Said Media.

September 18, 202619 min

What Deserves Your Time? Fran Hauser on her new book "Twenty Minutes is the New Hour"

She Said/She Said Podcast with Laura Cox Kaplan, Episode 372 What if the answer to feeling overwhelmed isn’t finding more time, but becoming much more intentional about the time we already have? This week on She Said/She Said Podcast, host Laura Cox Kaplan welcomes back longtime media executive, startup investor, bestselling author, and entrepreneur Fran Hauser to talk about her new book, Twenty Minutes Is the New Hour: The Ambitious Woman’s Guide to Doing Less and Achieving More. It’s a perfect follow-up to Episode 371, where Laura explored the difference between intention and architecture, and why our goals need structures, habits, and choices that actually support the life we say we want. Fran takes that idea one step further by challenging a belief many ambitious women have absorbed: that meaningful progress requires more time, more productivity, and more pushing. Fran shares why 20 minutes can often be enough to move something meaningful forward, and why giving ourselves less time can actually create greater clarity and focus. She learned that lesson firsthand when she decided to open Bedford Books in just eight weeks—a process that forced her to distinguish between what was truly essential and what could wait. Laura and Fran also dig into: The four Ps that steal our time: perfectionism, people-pleasing, procrastination, and “padding” Why we often expand tasks and meetings simply because we’ve given ourselves more time to complete them Kronos vs. Kairos: the difference between measuring time and experiencing it Why white space, deep work, walking, thinking, and even doing “nothing” can be surprisingly productive How to create more space for creativity and better thinking Fran’s simple rule for deciding what belongs on her calendar versus her to-do list Why meetings don’t automatically deserve an hour How to be more intentional about the time we spend on social media Fran’s idea of balancing “vibe and value” when creating content Laura’s HHH social media guardrails Why a to-don’t list can be even more powerful than a to-do list How to recognize when kindness has quietly slipped into people-pleasing Why protecting our time is ultimately about protecting our energy, attention, and agency Underlying the entire conversation is a bigger idea: thriving isn’t necessarily about squeezing more into every available minute. Sometimes it’s about becoming much clearer about what deserves those minutes in the first place. Fran’s new book, Twenty Minutes Is the New Hour, is filled with practical strategies for doing exactly that. Find Fran through FranHauser.com, Bedford Books, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Substack MORE SPECIAL OFFERS FOR SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST LISTENERS: Use the link below to shop all of our special offers and receive exclusive She Said listener discounts: Get them at: https://MyDeals.Page/1w7d Be sure to use our Promo Code: SHESAID at checkout FEEDBACK & COMMUNITY: Which part of this episode resonated with you most? We’d love to hear! Contact us using the links below. LOOKING FOR MORE SHE SAID/SHE SAID? You’ll find all our episodes & lots more content: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com LET’S CONNECT! Instagram: @lauracoxkaplan LinkedIn: Laura Cox Kaplan Contact: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com Email: info@shesaid.media PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST Love the show? Please consider leaving a review on Spotify, iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube, or wherever you listen. Your feedback helps shape the podcast and brings more amazing content your way! Note: She Said/She Said Podcast is a weekly production of She Said/She Said Media.

September 10, 202611 min

September Overload? Build the architecture you need to thrive!

She Said/She Said Podcast with Laura Cox Kaplan Episode 371: September has a way of feeling like a second January. Summer winds down, calendars fill up, work gets busy fast, and suddenly we’re looking at everything we want to accomplish before the end of the year. But what if the more useful question isn’t simply, What do I want to accomplish? What if it’s: What do I need to build around me to make it easier to thrive? In this solo episode, host Laura Cox Kaplan explores the difference between intention and architecture: the routines, relationships, boundaries, defaults, calendar decisions, and environments that shape or daily existence and how we actually live. Most of us already know what matters to us, and the list often includes: taking care of our health, investing in our relationships, doing meaningful work, continuing to learn, creating space to think, and having enough energy, resources, and flexibility to handle the unexpected. The challenge is creating the conditions that make those things easier to sustain. As Laura puts it, “Good intentions tell us what we value and where we want to go. Architecture helps translate what matters into the way we actually live.” In this episode: Why September can be the perfect time for a different kind of reset The difference between intention and architecture Why a lack of discipline may not actually be the biggest problem How small structural changes can make good choices easier Why relationships, health, learning, rest, and even white space build resilience Five practical ways to create more supportive architecture Why the goal isn’t simply greater productivity; it’s greater capacity to thrive How to prepare for a future we can’t perfectly predict So this fall, instead of only asking what you want to accomplish, consider asking: What do I need to build now to create the conditions that will help me to thrive? FEEDBACK & COMMUNITY: Which part of this episode resonated with you most? We’d love to hear! Contact us using the links below. LOOKING FOR MORE SHE SAID/SHE SAID? You’ll find all our episodes & lots more content: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com LET’S CONNECT! Instagram: @lauracoxkaplan LinkedIn: Laura Cox Kaplan Contact: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com Email: info@shesaid.media MORE SPECIAL OFFERS FOR SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST LISTENERS: Use the link below to shop all of our special offers and receive exclusive She Said listener discounts: Get them at: https://MyDeals.Page/1w7d Be sure to use our Promo Code: SHESAID at checkout PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST Love the show? Please consider leaving a review on Spotify, iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube, or wherever you listen. Your feedback helps shape the podcast and brings more amazing content your way! Note: She Said/She Said Podcast is a weekly production of She Said/She Said Media.

July 31, 202639 min

When was the last time you asked yourself, what am I ambitious for? with author Anne Welsh

She Said/She Said Podcast Episode 370:When Was the Last Time You Asked Yourself, What Am I Ambitious For? with guest Anne WelshTHIS WEEK'S TOPIC: When was the last time you asked yourself what you're actually ambitious for? Not what you were ambitious for at 25, or what everyone around you assumes you still want? It's a question host Laura Cox Kaplan has often reflected on since she left her corporate job and found that the definition of ambition she'd carried for three decades no longer fit. This week she's joined by clinical psychologist, executive coach, and repeat guest Anne Welsh, author of the new book Ambitious Mother: From Surviving to Thriving in Your Career and Life, out August 6, 2026. Anne makes the case that ambition was never a ladder. The ladder limits us to power, title, and money, and why so many folks think motherhood is where ambition goes to die. It doesn't! Anne offers an alternative: move in any direction, be ambitious for impact or connection or peace or play, change course without falling off. Laura shares what Sheryl Sandberg told her when she asked the same question thirteen years after Lean In, an answer that lands squarely inside Anne's framework. And Anne offers a reframe worth the whole episode: what we call mom guilt is often grief. Guilt implies wrongdoing. Grief simply acknowledges you can't be in two places at once. If you've ever wondered whether you're still ambitious after your life changed shape, this conversation is for you. ABOUT THIS WEEK'S GUEST: Anne Welsh is a clinical psychologist, executive coach, and mother of four. A former Harvard psychologist, she left to build her own practice and has spent 20 years working with women navigating career, motherhood, and identity. Her new book, Ambitious Mother: From Surviving to Thriving in Your Career and Life, publishes August 6 and includes a chapter written for workplaces on the changes that make careers more sustainable for working parents, and for everyone else. Anne first joined Laura on She Said/She Said in Episode 324. KEY TOPICS AND WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE: AMBITION AS A WEB, NOT A LADDER: Why the ladder model limits ambition to power, title, and money, and how the web lets you change direction without falling off. MOTHERHOOD AS AN AMBITION CLARIFIER: Anne's central argument, drawn from 20 years of clinical practice: motherhood changes ambition's shape and direction, but it doesn't end it. MOM GUILT VS. GRIEF: Guilt signals wrongdoing. What we're often feeling is grief about limited time, which carries none of the shame. THE THREE PS — PERFECTIONISM, PEOPLE PLEASING, AND PRETENDING: How these behaviors are socialized and rewarded in girls, and why they stop working as careers and families grow. THE CLOSET CLEAN-OUT: Anne's exercise for naming every role you carry and examining what still fits in this season. LINKS FOR ANNE WELSH: Book: Ambitious Mother: From Surviving to Thriving in Your Career and Life (available August 6) LinkedIn: Dr. Anne Welsh Website: drannewelsh.com RELATED EPISODES YOU'LL LIKE: Episode 360: Sheryl Sandberg on how she defines ambition today MORE SPECIAL OFFERS FOR SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST LISTENERS: Use the link below to shop all of our special offers and receive exclusive She Said listener discounts: Get them at: https://MyDeals.Page/1w7d Be sure to use our Promo Code: SHESAID at checkout FEEDBACK & COMMUNITY: Which part of this episode resonated with you most? We’d love to hear! Contact us using the links below. LOOKING FOR MORE SHE SAID/SHE SAID? You’ll find all our episodes & lots more content: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com LET’S CONNECT! Instagram: @lauracoxkaplan LinkedIn: Laura Cox Kaplan Contact: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com Email: info@shesaid.media PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST Love the show? Please consider leaving a review on Spotify, iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube, or wherever you listen. Your feedback helps shape the podcast and brings more amazing content your way! Note: She Said/She Said Podcast is a weekly production of She Said/She Said Media.

July 24, 202648 min

Ashley Elston on reinvention and writing her second bestselling book Anatomy of An Alibi

She Said/She Said Podcast with Laura Cox Kaplan Episode 369 Guest: Ashley Elston, author "First Lie Wins" and Anatomy of an Alibi" Author Ashley Elston joins host Laura Cox Kaplan for this episode of the She Said/She Said Podcast Summer Reads Series to discuss the unlikely career journey that led from wedding photography to becoming a New York Times bestselling author twice over. Before First Lie Wins became a Reese's Book Club pick and a runaway bestseller, Ashley spent years teaching herself how to write, collecting more than 80 rejections from literary agents, and learning to trust a creative path she never imagined for herself. In this conversation, Ashley and Laura explore the power of reinvention, why success can make the next project even more challenging, and how experiences that may seem unrelated often become the foundation for our greatest work. Ashley also shares the surprising storytelling lessons she learned while photographing weddings, the visual process she uses to build intricate psychological thrillers, and why she believes one simple mindset has shaped her entire career: "Just assume you can." Whether you're navigating a career pivot, building something new, or looking for the confidence to begin before you feel ready, this conversation offers practical wisdom and an encouraging reminder that meaningful reinvention can happen at any stage of life. In this episode, Laura and Ashley discuss: Ashley's journey from wedding photographer to bestselling author The 85 rejections that never convinced her to quit Why being self-taught became one of her greatest strengths The unexpected connection between photography and storytelling Writing First Lie Wins and Anatomy of an Alibi Managing self-doubt after major success Ashley's unique visual process for organizing complex plots Creativity, curiosity, and learning new skills Why reinvention is available at every stage of life The advice Ashley gives anyone considering a big career or life change Books Mentioned First Lie Wins Anatomy of an Alibi If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who may be considering a new chapter of their own. MORE SPECIAL OFFERS FOR SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST LISTENERS: Use the link below to shop all of our special offers and receive exclusive She Said listener discounts: Get them at: https://MyDeals.Page/1w7d Be sure to use our Promo Code: SHESAID at checkout FEEDBACK & COMMUNITY: Which part of this episode resonated with you most? We’d love to hear! Contact us using the links below. LOOKING FOR MORE SHE SAID/SHE SAID? You’ll find all our episodes & lots more content: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com LET’S CONNECT! Instagram: @lauracoxkaplan LinkedIn: Laura Cox Kaplan Contact: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com Email: info@shesaid.media PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW SHE SAID/SHE SAID PODCAST Love the show? Please consider leaving a review on Spotify, iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube, or wherever you listen. Your feedback helps shape the podcast and brings more amazing content your way! Note: She Said/She Said Podcast is a weekly production of She Said/She Said Media.