VEST Her Podcast

Hosted by VEST Her Members and Guests

Business Entrepreneurship

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Latest episode

May 2026

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EN-US

About the show

The VEST Her Podcast explores the systems, policies, workplaces, and lived experiences shaping women’s careers, financial stability, leadership, and long term economic mobility. Most conversations about women and work focus on individual success stories. The VEST Her Podcast goes deeper, exploring the structural, cultural, and economic forces shaping women’s advancement and long-term financial outcomes. We talk about: career growth and leadership caregiving and workplace culture entrepreneurship and wealth-building policy and economic mobility burnout, ambition, and sustainability identity, equity, and access the future of work We feature conversations with: founders and entrepreneurs executives and operators policymakers and advocates investors and researchers creatives and cultural leaders navigating career transitions reinvention

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60 recent

May 25, 202610 min

Expanding Beyond Your Current Role and Redefining Success

There’s a quiet tension a lot of women are carrying right now.The pressure to keep up. Stay relevant. Adapt faster. Do more. Become more.And somewhere in the middle of all of it, many are starting to ask a different question: What if success isn’t supposed to feel this exhausting?In this episode, we unpack the invisible scripts so many women inherit around ambition, achievement, productivity, identity, and how those definitions can quietly shape the lives we build without us ever consciously choosing them.We explore:The pressure to constantly reinvent yourselfWhy so many high-achieving women feel stuck on autopilotThe difference between survival and alignmentHow ambition can become fear-driven instead of fulfillingWhat it means to imagine beyond the role you currently occupyThis conversation is for anyone who has ever felt:Burned out from constantly proving themselvesTrapped inside a version of success that no longer fitsCurious about what expansion could look like beyond titles and external validationReady to rethink what opportunity actually means in this season of lifeWe also discuss why community matters so deeply when you’re trying to envision new possibilities for your life, career, leadership, or future.Because sometimes the first step toward expansion is simply realizing there are more options available to you than you previously allowed yourself to imagine.If you’ve been questioning your next chapter, reevaluating what success means to you, or feeling the tension between achievement and alignment, check out this episode.Support the showIf you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button. If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co

April 20, 202611 min

Recognizing Extractive Practices

There are moments that stay with you, not because they were obvious, but because something about them didn’t sit right.In this episode of the VEST Her Podcast, we explore those moments, the ones where you’ve given your time, energy, or ideas and walked away feeling like something was off, even if you couldn’t fully explain why.In this conversation, we unpack: What extractive practices are and why they’re not always easy to recognize How they often show up disguised as opportunity, visibility, or collaboration Why so many of us question ourselves before fully understanding what’s happening We explore how extractive dynamics don’t always look the way you’d expect. In many cases, something is being offered (access, inclusion, praise) which is exactly what makes it confusing. These gray areas can make it harder to trust your instincts in the moment.We also expand beyond the workplace, because these patterns don’t exist in just one area. They show up across: Work and career growth Community spaces Personal relationships Broader systems and expectations This episode is a guided conversation designed to help you recognize patterns you may not have had language for before and begin thinking differently about what you carry.Support the showIf you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button. If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co

March 23, 202654 min

Don't Leave Money On The Table

Speed and visibility are often rewarded in the workplace, but they can also lead to costly mistakes, including leaving money on the table.In this episode, we sit down with Jacqueline Twillie, author, leadership strategist, and founder of Bend AI, for a candid conversation on negotiation, decision-making, and high-stakes communication, especially for women who have been socialized to be “polite” instead of persistent. Moderated by VEST member Alison Anthony, President and CEO of Tulsa Area United Way, this discussion challenges conventional thinking and offers a more strategic approach to advocating for your value.Together, they unpack the mindset traps that hold women back from asking for more and the real cost of not doing so. You’ll walk away with practical frameworks you can begin using immediately, whether in your career, business, or everyday conversations.In this episode, we explore:Why preparation, not confidence, is the true driver of better decisionsHow to slow down fast-moving rooms and “set the temperature”Three common negotiation pitfalls: self-negotiation, worthiness spirals, and failing to follow upThe FLOW framework for navigating difficult conversationsThe LATTE framework for preparing, communicating, and evaluating negotiationsA thoughtful, practical conversation on how small shifts in how you prepare and communicate can lead to meaningful financial and career outcomes.Click here for Show Notes and Guests BiosSupport the showIf you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button. If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co

February 23, 202652 min

What If The Fastest Way To Grow Isn't Moving at All?

What if the fastest way to grow isn’t moving at all? In this episode, we sit down with Tulsa International Airport CEO, Alexis Higgins, to unpack how a 26‑year journey in one city became a masterclass in influence, trust, and long‑term impact. From a support role to CEO, Alexis shows why deep roots can beat constant motion when you turn visibility, preparation, and relationships into compound career returns.Alexis pulls back the curtain on airport life as a “city within a city." She breaks down how airlines choose new routes, why landing new airline routes take patience and precision, and more. Inside the organization, we explore culture by design, setting goals where none existed, normalizing debate, and anchoring tough decisions on what’s best for the airport. Alexis shares practical leadership tools, “to be clear is to be kind,” practicing hard conversations, and creating transparent development paths so people are ready for opportunities before they officially exist. We also get candid about the job market, layoffs, and longer searches, offering concrete steps for visibility, high‑value networking, and asking for precise help.We talk women in aviation, the power of hometown leadership, and more.Alexis’s takeaways are both grounded and energizing, find work that gives you joy, volunteer to reset your mind, and keep your attention on what you can control when the world feels heavy. If you’re hungry for real talk on career strategy, route development, airport operations, mentorship, and culture change, this conversation delivers clear, actionable insight.Click here for our guest full bio and show notes. Support the showIf you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button. If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co

February 9, 20261 hr 19 min

Confronting Religion, Christian Nationalism and the Push for Women’s Submission

At VEST, we talk a lot about careers, money, and women’s economic mobility. But here’s the truth: you can’t fully talk about women building power without talking about the systems that taught us what we’re allowed to want—and what we should quietly accept.For many of us, that system was religion.In this episode of the VEST Podcast, Erika sits down with Reverend Lori Walke for an honest, grounded conversation about what happens when faith becomes complicated, especially for women who grew up inside religious institutions that preached love, but practiced control.What we talk about in this episodeHow women learn “their place” and how to unlearn itSeparating the message from the messengersDeconstruction without losing yourselfReligious trauma is real and you have permission to leaveWhen religion becomes a political weaponHow women stay engaged without burning outWhy this matters for women’s careers and economic mobilityDeconstructing harmful spiritual narratives isn’t a side quest. It’s part of building a life where women can earn, lead, rest, belong, and thrive, without shrinking.For our guest full bio and show notes (including book recommendations) click here. At VEST, we’re not afraid to have these conversations because women are whole people. Not just workers. Not just caregivers. Not just resilience machines.Support the showIf you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button. If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co

January 26, 20268 min

Redefining Wealth and Your Money Story

As we begin a new year, many of us are reflecting on what’s working, what needs to shift, and what we truly want, not just in our careers or personal lives, but financially as well. But let’s be honest, for many women, wealth is the last thing we feel comfortable talking about.In this episode of the VEST Her Podcast, we explore how to reset your relationship with money, redefine what wealth means on your own terms, and build a system that actually supports the life you want. Because wealth isn’t just a number, it’s a reflection of access, freedom, and the ability to move through the world with confidence and choice.This Episode Is for You IfYou’ve been taught that talking about money is impolite or selfishYou’ve hit career milestones, but still feel unclear about your financial pictureYou want to set wealth goals this year, but don’t know where to startYou’re ready to shift from short-term survival to long-term visionYou want to build wealth in a way that aligns with your values, not someone else’s definition of successWhat You’ll LearnWhy wealth is about more than salary, savings, or statusHow culture, family, and systems shape our beliefs about moneyA 5-step Wealth Inventory to help you get clear on your starting pointHow to set one bold financial goal and the habit that supports itWhy doing this work in community changes everythingChapters1:00 Why Women Need A Different Money Talk2:12 The Wealth Inventory Framework4:06 Turn Goals Into Systems5:27 Why Money Feels Complicated7:13 History, Exclusion, And The Wealth Gap8:40 Three Actions And The Power Of CommunitySupport the showIf you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button. If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co

December 18, 202553 min

Likeable Badass: Rethinking Power and Status

What if you didn’t have to choose between being respected and being liked? In this episode of the VEST Her Podcast, we’re joined by Alison Fragale, organizational psychologist, UNC professor, and author of Likeable Badass, to break down the real difference between power and status, and how women can build both without burning out or selling out.Moderated by VEST Member Autumn Knutson, CEO of Styled Wealth, the conversation goes deep into the practical side of leadership for women: how to be warm and in charge, how to negotiate effectively, and how to turn discomfort into growth.“Power is control over valued resources. Status is the regard others choose to give you. If you don’t know the difference, you might be playing the wrong game.” — Alison Fragale, Organizational Psychologist & Author of Likeable BadassFor guests full bios and show notes and key takeaways click here. Note: In this episode, we mispronounced Knutson, Autumn's last name. The correct pronunciation includes the “K”, it’s K-nutson, not Nutson. We regret the error and appreciate your understanding.Support the showIf you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button. If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co

December 8, 20258 min

Beyond Power Ranking Lists: Real Measures Of A Meaningful Career

As the year wraps up, so do the “Top Under 30, 40, 50” lists, power rankings, and glossy features that suggest success is public, polished, and linear.In this episode, we take a clear-eyed look at why these lists can be inspiring but also alienating, and why so many brilliant, hardworking women still feel like they’re falling behind.Then, we shift the focus to a more grounded, sustainable way to measure progress, one that doesn’t rely on headlines, algorithms, or someone else’s definition of success.We walk through a set of practical, reflective questions to help you define what success really means to you, and explore how chasing visibility without alignment can lead to burnout, distraction, and disconnection from your purpose.Click here for Show Notes and a simple year-end reflection exercise.Support the showIf you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button. If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co

November 24, 202514 min

Mapping Your Web Of Support And Legacy

We’re often told to “build our network” or “think about the impact we want to have” but rarely does anyone show us how. It’s not just about adding connections or chasing influence. What we really need is a Web of Support and a clearer sense of the legacy we're already leaving behind, often without realizing it.In this episode, we slow things down to explore two powerful reflection tools: the VEST Web of Support that helps make hard things doable, and the VEST Legacy Map that surfaces your quiet but meaningful influence.First, we walk you through mapping the people around you, mentors, peers, partners, and communities. Who asks better questions? Who shows up when it’s hard? Who helps carry the load? This simple but revealing scan helps you recognize gaps, appreciate the support you already have, and see where you're playing that role in someone else’s life too.Then, we reframe legacy, not as something far off or grand, but as the everyday ways you shift culture, model values, and strengthen systems. From making space for underrepresented voices to normalizing boundaries and improving how work flows, these quiet contributions shape trust and sustainability, even if they never make it onto a resume.By the end of the episode, you’ll have three simple actions to take.Click here for our host bio and show notes. Support the showIf you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button. If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co

October 20, 202553 min

Living on Fire with Shannon Watts

What if the key to moving from stuck to unstoppable isn’t finding your one big purpose but choosing to live with purpose, every day?In this episode, we sit down with Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action and author of New York Bestseller Fired Up, to explore a practical framework for aligning what you value, what you're good at, and what truly matters to you. She calls it the fire formula, a tool for any stage of life, from early career to midlife reinvention.We unpack three common myths that hold women back:That you need a single, all-consuming callingThat happiness is the goalThat constant busyness means you're succeedingShannon also shares her playbook for handling blowback when you start showing up differently, how to decide whose feedback matters, what to hold onto, and how to keep going when the discomfort sets in.You’ll hear actionable strategies for building aligned community, sustaining momentum, and reclaiming your time and voice. We also get into:How to navigate professional risks and resistanceHow to build meaningful relationships in midlifeHow to push back against the systems and narratives shaping our democracyThis is a grounded, honest conversation about courage, clarity, and living on your own terms. If you’re ready to stop waiting for permission, this episode offers the tools and the push to start.Click here for more Show Notes and Guest Bio. Support the showIf you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button. If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co