WOC and Allies: Business and Career Realtalk with Elaine Lou Cartas

Hosted by Elaine Lou Cartas

Entrepreneurship Careers Education

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Episodes

143

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Struggling with what to do next? Need honest realtalk cause you're tired of the curated highlight reels on the socials? And want strategies to get out of your own way? Your host, Elaine Lou Cartas, the oldest daughter of a Filipino immigrant, is an award-winning Business and Executive Career Coach for women of color and allies. Elaine is like you - she’s been fired, quit jobs, changed careers three times, and been in debt. Elaine’s success story? She’s always done what’s true to herself and wants you to know it’s possible too. She’s a former grassroots organizer and nonprofit fundraiser who raised $11 million. LA Weekly awarded Elaine as the #1 Thought Leader in 2023, and MSN recognized her as the Best Leadership & Executive Coach in 2024. Elaine has online courses with LinkedIn, Duke, Brown, Penn and USC. On the WOC and Allies: Business and Career Realtalk® Podcast (formerly known as the Color Your Dreams podcast), Elaine reminds you that your definition of happiness in work and life can evolve. Elaine's podcast guests include team members, clients, friends, and even family members who discuss real challenges and how they honored their own voices. As a business owner and career leader, this podcast is here to help you overcome overwhelm, while protecting your peace. So bring your coffee, tea, or boba for some realtalk every other Thursday! @elainelou_ // www.elainelou.com

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 8, 2026Episode 1421 hr 17 min

142: How to have difficult conversations & ask for a promotion (Replay talk for Kroger)

Hear my keynote talk for Kroger with 80+ store and assistant store managers of Ralphs and Food4Less. We talk about how to have difficult conversations including: Why your brain goes into fight, flight, freeze, or fawn during difficult conversations The one word to use I use to stop an overbearing colleague How to ask for a promotion Resources: Eisenhower Decision Matrix for time management: https://www.eisenhower.me/eisenhower-matrix/ Zones of Regulation, the emotional regulation tool I learned from my therapist: https://zonesofregulation.com Where We Can Connect: Schedule a Business & Career Review call with me to see if it’s a good fit to work together: elainelou.com/call Check out our 300+ reviews on Google | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website Follow the Podcast on Apple Follow the Podcast on Spotify Follow Elaine on Instagram: @elainelou_ Connect with Elaine on LinkedIn: Elaine Lou Cartas Check out our other podcasts for Women of Color

October 1, 2026Episode 1411 hr 2 min

141: How to Build a side Business, while Working full time with Autoimmunity with Amber Ivey

Don’t want to leave your job, but want to have a side business? It can be done and my client, Amber Ivey and I have a candid conversation about this. We talk about: How to build a 9-5, then 5-9 routine while honoring her ADHD brain and her body's limits with MS How to use AI in your life: A simple framework for deciding which tasks you keep, which ones AI helps with, and which ones you hand off completely. Why tired doesn't mean successful: We talk about eldest daughters, generational burnout, and what happened when Amber finally looked at the numbers she was sure she'd missed. I made her build a spreadsheet, and the spreadsheet had receipts. Resources Mentioned www.aidigitales.com www.aidigicards.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberivey/ https://www.ambermivey.com/ Where We Can Connect: Schedule a Business & Career Review call with me to see if it’s a good fit to work together: elainelou.com/call Check out our 300+ reviews on Google | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website Follow the Podcast on Apple Follow the Podcast on Spotify Follow Elaine on Instagram: @elainelou_ Connect with Elaine on LinkedIn: Elaine Lou Cartas Check out our other podcasts for Women of Color

August 27, 2026Episode 1401 hr 19 min

140: Imposter Syndrome, Burnout & Being a Child of Immigrants

I’m stuck on a boat with a therapist and HR leaders and we coach each other on: How to have difficult conversations How to scale a small business sustainably Work-life balance How to find a job in this economy The challenges of being a child of immigrants Resources Mentioned Therapist: Jennifer Oh Where We Can Connect: Schedule a Business & Career Review call with me to see if it’s a good fit to work together: elainelou.com/call Check out our 300+ reviews on Google | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website Follow the Podcast on Apple Follow the Podcast on Spotify Follow Elaine on Instagram: @elainelou_ Connect with Elaine on LinkedIn: Elaine Lou Cartas Check out our other podcasts for Women of Color

August 20, 2026Episode 13917 min

139: Stop Performing, Start Closing: Follow-Up Over Followers

Main Points In this episode, I break down the exact live pitch I just gave to 100+ minority small business owners, the one that's helped me beat last year's revenue and grow profit margins by 23%, all without being social media dependent. My real breakdown on how I get sales, and how it’s not dependent on social media How I don’t have to perform and post all the time on social media and consistent sales The AI prompt I use before every conference to walk in already knowing who I need to talk to Where We Can Connect: Schedule a Business & Career Review call with me to see if it’s a good fit to work together: elainelou.com/call Check out our 300+ reviews on Google | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website Follow the Podcast on Apple Follow the Podcast on Spotify Follow Elaine on Instagram: @elainelou_ Connect with Elaine on LinkedIn: Elaine Lou Cartas Check out our other podcasts for Women of Color

July 30, 2026Episode 13839 min

138: My 9-Year Business Anniversary: What I Quit to Go From Chaos to Calm

Main Points It’s my 9 Year Business Anniversary and I’m sharing: How I surpassed last year's revenue in cash flow already, and increased my profit margins by 24% How I quit copying everyone else's business model and turned my business from chaos into calm and peace How quitting alcohol, Muay Thai group class, and hustle culture helped me get there Resources Mentioned My bookkeepers: Evolved Finance Uchechi Kalu, CFP Feend Media The Creative Act: A Way of Being Atomic Habits Autoimmunity & The Good Girl psychologytoday.com Where We Can Connect: Schedule a Business & Career Review call with me to see if it’s a good fit to work together: elainelou.com/call Check out our 300+ reviews on Google | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website Follow the Podcast on Apple Follow the Podcast on Spotify Follow Elaine on Instagram: @elainelou_ Connect with Elaine on LinkedIn: Elaine Lou Cartas Check out our other podcasts for Women of Color

July 16, 2026Episode 1371 hr 9 min

137: Difficult Conversations & Self-Defense: In the Boardroom and on the Streets

Main Points Self-care is more than just getting a massage, mani/pedi, it’s listening to those whispers of what you need to change in your life. This is a replay of my talk from the Women Leading Travel Forum in New Orleans with top female leaders from travel and hospitality, where I was leading a leadership workshop on how to handle difficult conversations at work; plus a live self-defense demo I brought onto the main stage. Whether it’s in the board room or in the real world, it’s the same strategy. In this episode: The exact script for dealing with a narcissist at work: The neuroscience behind your trauma response, and the 1 calm question that makes them short-circuit. How to manage up and down without burning out: Why "my team is overwhelmed" doesn't land, and the script that actually gets you heard. My raise/promotion homework, plus a live self-defense demo Resources Mentioned Women Leading Travel Autoimmunity and the Good Girls by Sara Hirsh Bordo The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin Atomic Habits by James Clear Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey Where We Can Connect: Schedule a Business & Career Review call with me to see if it’s a good fit to work together: elainelou.com/call Check out our 300+ reviews on Google | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website Follow the Podcast on Apple Follow the Podcast on Spotify Follow Elaine on Instagram: @elainelou_ Connect with Elaine on LinkedIn: Elaine Lou Cartas Check out our other podcasts for Women of Color

July 2, 2026Episode 1361 hr 12 min

136: Should You Blowup Your Career in Midlife? And Other Questions Women Ask Themselves with Meredith Herrera

Main Points It seems like every millennial I’m talking to is going through a mid-life crisis. My former client turned friend and fellow coach, Meredith Herrera, and I talka bout: Why your 20% might already be everyone else's 100%, and why it’s OK not to give your 100% The difference between burnout & outgrowing something What her dad said when she told him she was "unemployed" on purpose The question I've now stolen for my own coaching sessions: "What are you pretending not to know that you know?" Our AIM screennames, you’ll be shocked what mine is Resources Mentioned Connect with Meredith: mherreraconsulting.com Meredith’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredith-herrera-30652010/ Where We Can Connect: Schedule a Business & Career Review call with me to see if it’s a good fit to work together: elainelou.com/call Check out our 300+ reviews on Google | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website Follow the Podcast on Apple Follow the Podcast on Spotify Follow Elaine on Instagram: @elainelou_ Connect with Elaine on LinkedIn: Elaine Lou Cartas Check out our other podcasts for Women of Color

May 21, 2026Episode 13549 min

135: Workplace Trauma: What To Do When You're Stuck with Maya Borgueta, PsyD

Main Points Common themes I’m hearing from clients include burnout and microagressions. In this podcast episode, I connect with Dr. Maya Borgueta where we get into: What trauma actually is, and what it’s not The workplace trauma trends we’re seeing now from blurred boundaries to layoffs and what to do about it Why microaggressions is traumatic The signs you might be carrying workplace trauma without realizing it Resources Mentioned https://www.psychologytoday.com/ stelanovapsych.com Where We Can Connect: Schedule a Business & Career Review call with me to see if it’s a good fit to work together: elainelou.com/call Check out our 300+ reviews on Google | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website Follow the Podcast on Apple Follow the Podcast on Spotify Follow Elaine on Instagram: @elainelou_ Connect with Elaine on LinkedIn: Elaine Lou Cartas Check out our other podcasts for Women of Color

April 30, 2026Episode 1341 hr 0 min

134: Executive Influence at the Queen Mary: Using Conscious Conversations® to Lead, Communicate & Get What You Want

I did a talk on emotional influence and how to get raises and start a business at the Queen Mary in Long Beach. It was for a women’s retreat with Humansave, a nonprofit that helps survivors of human trafficking. In this episode we talk about: Why your nervous system is your biggest leadership asset (or liability) The one document that gets you the raise, and why you should talk to your boss before you demand a raise How to stop over-explaining and start leading with authority My follow-up formula on how I raised $11 million as a former fundraiser Where We Can Connect: Schedule a Business & Career Review call with me to see if it’s a good fit to work together: elainelou.com/call Check out our 300+ reviews on Google | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website Follow the Podcast on Apple Follow the Podcast on Spotify Follow Elaine on Instagram: @elainelou_ Connect with Elaine on LinkedIn: Elaine Lou Cartas Check out our other podcasts for Women of Color Check out Humansave

April 16, 2026Episode 1331 hr 2 min

133: Balancing It All As a Woman: Leadership, Anxiety & Self-Advocacy with Amazon

As a female leader, unfortunately, you aren’t alone when it comes to leadership, anxiety and self-advocacy. This is part 2 of my keynote recording from SoCal Amazon Women’s Conference. But this time, I’m joined by 3 other incredible women of color operations leaders from Amazon who rose through the ranks quickly. In this episode, we get into: What it looks like to lead a team of 100+ while holding it together Why playing it safe is keeping you stuck How your empathy and emotion are strengths, not liabilities The importance of understanding seasons at your work Managing anxiety at work (We talked therapy & I shared the 2 therapeutic methods that actually helped me) How to advocate for yourself without feeling like you're bragging Where We Can Connect: Schedule a Business & Career Review call with me to see if it’s a good fit to work together: elainelou.com/call Check out our 300+ reviews on Google | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website Follow the Podcast on Apple Follow the Podcast on Spotify Follow Elaine on Instagram: @elainelou_ Connect with Elaine on LinkedIn: Elaine Lou Cartas Check out our other podcasts for Women of Color