Women Changing Leadership with Stacy Mayer

Hosted by Stacy Mayer

Business Careers Management

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Episodes

333

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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EN-US

About the show

We are entering a new dawn of executive leadership. A new era where inclusivity, diversity, empathy, and compassion are both welcomed and expected at the leadership table. On Women Changing Leadership, we believe women are the leaders who are bringing about this change, and each week we share strategies and insights to help women like you advance to the executive suite on your terms. Your host, Stacy Mayer, is a bestselling author, a certified executive coach, a promotion strategist, and the creator of Executive Ahead of Time, a life-time access group coaching program for corporate women leaders. In each episode of Women Changing Leadership, Stacy will teach you how to get promoted, get paid, and bring your whole self to the leadership table. Join Stacy on her mission to transform the way business is run from the C-Suite out – one powerhouse woman leader at a time.

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60 recent

September 11, 202619 min

The Promotion Won't Save You

Ep. #330: The Promotion Won't Save You There's a trap I see with ambitious corporate women chasing their next career move: the belief that the title or the corner office is what will finally make them feel like they've arrived. It won't. The magic fades fast, and most women are asking "what's next?" before the ink is dry on the offer. In this episode, I unpack the paradox—just because the promotion won't fulfill you doesn't mean you don't need it. You do. It's the door to the impact and the leadership seat you're actually after. The problem isn't wanting the promotion. It's pinning your worth to it. I'll share client stories and a repeatable process for pursuing your next role without waiting for magic—so you stop chasing the finish line and start building real momentum. If you're ready to get unstuck and take ownership of your advancement, this one's for you. Before you go — if you haven't subscribed to this podcast yet, do it now. And head over to stac ymayer.com/youtube and subscribe to my YouTube channel while you're at it. If this episode hit home for you, share it. Post it to your LinkedIn. Send it to a colleague, a friend, anyone who needs to hear it. We are navigating this AI era together, and I don't take lightly the opportunity to be part of that journey with you. And if you're ready to stop navigating it alone — whether you've just been laid off or you're simply done white-knuckling your way through a chaotic landscape — I want to work with you personally. Go to stacymayer.com/discovery and schedule your free call. We'll map out a career strategy built specifically for you. I'll see you there. 👊🏼💚

September 3, 202620 min

Stop White-Knuckling Your Career

Ep. #329: Stop White-Knuckling Your Career If you're powering through your goals but every step feels like a grind, this episode is for you. I'm talking about what it actually takes to achieve big, ambitious things in your career and your life without burning out along the way — and why so much of it comes down to intentionality, agency, and a willingness to let go of control. We get into the myth of the linear career path and why defining success on your own terms matters more than climbing someone else's ladder. I share why setting a bold vision and then releasing your grip on the "how" is where the real momentum lives, and how breaking big dreams into small, doable micro goals keeps you moving when the finish line feels far away. I also open up about the miracle side of this work — what happens when you stop over-controlling every outcome, trust the journey, and stay open to the unexpected breakthroughs and opportunities you can't yet see. Add in the power of a strong community behind you, and you've got a real path to healing, abundance, and leadership that actually feels good. By the end, you'll walk away with a fresh way to pursue your biggest goals — one that pairs purposeful action with a little room for the miraculous. Before you go — if you haven't subscribed to this podcast yet, do it now. And head over to stac ymayer.com/youtube and subscribe to my YouTube channel while you're at it. If this episode hit home for you, share it. Post it to your LinkedIn. Send it to a colleague, a friend, anyone who needs to hear it. We are navigating this AI era together, and I don't take lightly the opportunity to be part of that journey with you. And if you're ready to stop navigating it alone — whether you've just been laid off or you're simply done white-knuckling your way through a chaotic landscape — I want to work with you personally. Go to stacymayer.com/discovery and schedule your free call. We'll map out a career strategy built specifically for you. I'll see you there. 👊🏼💚

August 27, 202619 min

Pour Yourself a Cup of Ambition: A Lesson in Legacy from Dolly Parton

Ep. #328: Pour Yourself a Cup of Ambition: A Lesson in Legacy from Dolly Parton Just hours after learning of Dolly Parton's passing, I sat down to reflect on the legacy of a woman who spent 80 years showing us exactly what authentic power looks like. In this episode, I share stories from my recent visit to Dollywood and what Dolly's life teaches women leaders about ambition, knowing your worth, and building impact that outlasts you. We'll talk about positioning yourself for support, going big without shrinking to fit, and why real authenticity means bringing ALL of you to the table—big hair, big ideas, and all. Dolly never waited for permission to be great; she even planned her legacy down to a never-released song sealed away for the future. If you've ever doubted what's possible for you, this one will blow your vision wide open. Come own your worth and play bigger—your way. Before you go — if you haven't subscribed to this podcast yet, do it now. And head over to stac ymayer.com/youtube and subscribe to my YouTube channel while you're at it. If this episode hit home for you, share it. Post it to your LinkedIn. Send it to a colleague, a friend, anyone who needs to hear it. We are navigating this AI era together, and I don't take lightly the opportunity to be part of that journey with you. And if you're ready to stop navigating it alone — whether you've just been laid off or you're simply done white-knuckling your way through a chaotic landscape — I want to work with you personally. Go to stacymayer.com/discovery and schedule your free call. We'll map out a career strategy built specifically for you. I'll see you there. 👊🏼💚

August 11, 202620 min

Decision Burnout Is Killing Your Leadership

Decision burnout is killing your leadership—and you probably don't even realize it's happening. In this episode of Executive Coaching in the AI Era , I get honest about my own struggle with decision fatigue, from a chaotic camping trip to raising a new puppy (yes, I even told my husband which exit to take for McDonald's after promising myself a decision break). Here's what I've learned: women leaders pile on low-level decisions that drain the mental energy we need for high-value, strategic choices. That exhaustion breeds resentment, and together they quietly erode your executive presence. I'll show you how to tell the difference between decisions that move your career forward and the ones stealing your bandwidth, how to outsource the small stuff to AI and the people around you, and why letting go is the boldest leadership move you can make. Step out of the weeds and into the C-suite. Before you go — if you haven't subscribed to this podcast yet, do it now. And head over to stac ymayer.com/youtube and subscribe to my YouTube channel while you're at it. If this episode hit home for you, share it. Post it to your LinkedIn. Send it to a colleague, a friend, anyone who needs to hear it. We are navigating this AI era together, and I don't take lightly the opportunity to be part of that journey with you. And if you're ready to stop navigating it alone — whether you've just been laid off or you're simply done white-knuckling your way through a chaotic landscape — I want to work with you personally. Go to stacymayer.com/discovery and schedule your free call. We'll map out a career strategy built specifically for you. I'll see you there. 👊🏼💚

August 5, 202616 min

When Life Blows Up Your Career Plan

Executive Coaching in the AI Era Ep. #11: When Life Blows Up Your Career Plan Nobody plans for the layoff. Nobody schedules the diagnosis. And yet the women who come out the other side stronger keep telling me the same thing: the moment everything fell apart was the moment they finally stopped climbing and started claiming. In this episode of Executive Coaching in the AI Era , I share real stories from my clients and my Leadership Table Mastermind about turning a career blowup into real power. We'll get into the non-linear "zigzag" that routes influence sideways — thought leadership, fractional and consulting work, executive roles — instead of white-knuckling the ladder. Plus AI's double edge. Spiritually, it's a lot of noise and misinformation. Logistically, it's also curing cancer, so. If you've been waiting for permission to zoom out and ask what actually matters (before life blows things up for you), this one's for you. Before you go — if you haven't subscribed to this podcast yet, do it now. And head over to stac ymayer.com/youtube and subscribe to my YouTube channel while you're at it. If this episode hit home for you, share it. Post it to your LinkedIn. Send it to a colleague, a friend, anyone who needs to hear it. We are navigating this AI era together, and I don't take lightly the opportunity to be part of that journey with you. And if you're ready to stop navigating it alone — whether you've just been laid off or you're simply done white-knuckling your way through a chaotic landscape — I want to work with you personally. Go to stacymayer.com/discovery and schedule your free call. We'll map out a career strategy built specifically for you. I'll see you there. 👊🏼💚

July 28, 202644 min

Three Badass Leaders Putting AI to Work

Three badass leaders putting AI to work , and none of them are doing it the way you'd expect. In this episode I sit down with Nicole Collins, Pooja Agrawal, and Monika Philip to talk about how women are actually using AI to advance their careers, not in theory, but in their real workdays. We get into building an AI board of directors, why one of my guests named her AI executive assistant Claire and gets a report from her every morning, and how curiosity beats expertise when the technology keeps shifting under your feet. We also talk about the harder stuff. How a tornado became the starting point for a business. Why authenticity is the actual advantage in tech leadership. What it looks like to use AI to get your brain space back instead of just adding another tool to the pile. You'll walk away with specific things to try this week, and a much clearer sense of what's possible for you. Before you go — if you haven't subscribed to this podcast yet, do it now. And head over to stac ymayer.com/youtube and subscribe to my YouTube channel while you're at it. If this episode hit home for you, share it. Post it to your LinkedIn. Send it to a colleague, a friend, anyone who needs to hear it. We are navigating this AI era together, and I don't take lightly the opportunity to be part of that journey with you. And if you're ready to stop navigating it alone — whether you've just been laid off or you're simply done white-knuckling your way through a chaotic landscape — I want to work with you personally. Go to stacymayer.com/discovery and schedule your free call. We'll map out a career strategy built specifically for you. I'll see you there. 👊🏼💚

July 14, 202619 min

Are you using AI against yourself?

Executive Coaching in the AI-Era Ep. #9: Are you using AI against yourself? In this episode of Executive Coaching in the AI Era, I dig into something I'm seeing constantly with the senior women I coach. We're turning to AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini for advice, feedback, and reassurance, and without realizing it, we're using them to feed perfectionism, shame, and self-doubt. I share real client examples of what this looks like in practice, the difference between asking AI to analyze data and asking it to tell you you're good enough, and why that distinction changes everything about your confidence at work. There's a simple coaching question that can shift how you show up in the room, and I walk you through it. AI is a powerful tool. But it can't do the deeper work of real coaching and peer support. Listen in and learn how to make the technology work for you, not against you. Before you go — if you haven't subscribed to this podcast yet, do it now. And head over to stac ymayer.com/youtube and subscribe to my YouTube channel while you're at it. If this episode hit home for you, share it. Post it to your LinkedIn. Send it to a colleague, a friend, anyone who needs to hear it. We are navigating this AI era together, and I don't take lightly the opportunity to be part of that journey with you. And if you're ready to stop navigating it alone — whether you've just been laid off or you're simply done white-knuckling your way through a chaotic landscape — I want to work with you personally. Go to stacymayer.com/discovery and schedule your free call. We'll map out a career strategy built specifically for you. I'll see you there. 👊🏼💚

July 7, 202614 min

AI Has a Gender Bias Problem, and Your Resume Is Paying for It

Executive Coaching in the AI Era Ep #8: AI Has a Gender Bias Problem, and Your Resume Is Paying for It Gender bias doesn't just show up in the boardroom — it's baked into the AI-driven tools deciding who gets seen and who gets scrolled past. Most women try to fix this by asking AI to "improve" their resume, and end up with generic, forgettable AI slop that reads like everyone else's. In this episode, I break down why bypassing the algorithm and speaking directly to human decision-makers matters more than optimizing for it, and why being a great manager isn't the same as demonstrating organizational leadership. You'll walk away with the exact prompts I use with clients to get AI to highlight real influence — not buzzwords — so your resume and LinkedIn actually reflect the leader you already are. Before you go — if you haven't subscribed to this podcast yet, do it now. And head over to stac ymayer.com/youtube and subscribe to my YouTube channel while you're at it. If this episode hit home for you, share it. Post it to your LinkedIn. Send it to a colleague, a friend, anyone who needs to hear it. We are navigating this AI era together, and I don't take lightly the opportunity to be part of that journey with you. And if you're ready to stop navigating it alone — whether you've just been laid off or you're simply done white-knuckling your way through a chaotic landscape — I want to work with you personally. Go to stacymayer.com/discovery and schedule your free call. We'll map out a career strategy built specifically for you. I'll see you there. 👊🏼💚

July 1, 202616 min

Nobody's Hiring. Everyone's Hiring. Here's Why

Executive Coaching in the AI Era Ep. 7: Nobody's Hiring. Everyone's Hiring. Here's Why In this week's episode, I'm digging into the strange contradiction happening in hiring right now: mass layoffs and skyrocketing unemployment on one side, desperate talent shortages in tech and healthcare on the other. I'm talking through the rise of "AI cheating" in interviews (and why it's not the red flag you think it is), the real reasons leaders are defaulting to contractors over full-time hires, and what to watch out for before you make that call. I'm also sharing what to do when you're stuck in a hiring freeze but still need to build influence and prepare your team for growth. If you're building a team in this AI-era chaos — or you're the one job hunting in it — this episode gives you the clarity and strategy to move forward with confidence. Before you go — if you haven't subscribed to this podcast yet, do it now. And head over to stac ymayer.com/youtube and subscribe to my YouTube channel while you're at it. If this episode hit home for you, share it. Post it to your LinkedIn. Send it to a colleague, a friend, anyone who needs to hear it. We are navigating this AI era together, and I don't take lightly the opportunity to be part of that journey with you. And if you're ready to stop navigating it alone — whether you've just been laid off or you're simply done white-knuckling your way through a chaotic landscape — I want to work with you personally. Go to stacymayer.com/discovery and schedule your free call. We'll map out a career strategy built specifically for you. I'll see you there. 👊🏼💚

June 23, 202617 min

Stop Knowing. Start Leading.

Executive Coaching in the AI-Era Ep. 6: Stop knowing. Start leading. That's the shift I'm inviting you to make in this episode — and I'll be honest, it's one I'm still making myself. We're living in a moment where AI is moving faster than any of us can keep up with, and the instinct is to double down on expertise. Know more. Certify more. Prove more. But that strategy? It's running out of road. What I've seen in my work with senior leaders is that the executives who are actually thriving right now aren't the ones with all the answers. They're the ones who've gotten comfortable not having them — and built enough trust in themselves to lead anyway. In this episode, I'm talking about why letting go of the need to "know it all" isn't a weakness. It's the most powerful move you can make in an AI-driven world. We'll get into how to rebuild trust in your own judgment, why curiosity and relationship capital will outlast any expertise, and what it actually looks like to lead with confidence when everything around you is changing fast. You don't need more certifications. You need to stop waiting until you have all the answers — and start leading right now. Before you go — if you haven't subscribed to this podcast yet, do it now. And head over to stac ymayer.com/youtube and subscribe to my YouTube channel while you're at it. If this episode hit home for you, share it. Post it to your LinkedIn. Send it to a colleague, a friend, anyone who needs to hear it. We are navigating this AI era together, and I don't take lightly the opportunity to be part of that journey with you. And if you're ready to stop navigating it alone — whether you've just been laid off or you're simply done white-knuckling your way through a chaotic landscape — I want to work with you personally. Go to stacymayer.com/discovery and schedule your free call. We'll map out a career strategy built specifically for you. I'll see you there. 👊🏼💚