Ellevate Network: Conversations With Women Changing the Face of Business
Ellevate Network: Conversations With Women Changing the Face of Business

Ellevate Network: Conversations With Women Changing the Face of Business

Allyson McDonald

Overview
Episodes

Details

The Ellevate Podcast spotlights women+ making a difference across industries—entrepreneurs, authors, executives, and other trailblazers who share the strategies, stumbles, and wins that shaped their careers. Hosted by Ally McDonald and produced by Ashton Porzio, the show blends real talk with practical guidance to help you navigate today’s business landscape. Expect actionable advice on leadership, growth, and impact; thoughtful conversations on purpose and resilience; and insights you can use immediately—whether you’re a founder, a corporate leader, or somewhere in between. Tune in for engaging stories, smart takeaways, and the momentum to take your next step.About Ellevate Network:Ellevate is a community of professional women+ committed to helping each other succeed. We use the power of community to help you take the next step in your career. We show up for each other, helping everyone — no matter their background or aspirations — build a career they love. And even more importantly, we mobilize our collective power to change the culture of business.Although our community is the largest of its kind, we know that navigating a sea of faceless connections is a waste of time. That’s why we prioritize meaningful relationships—local and digital—that offer real insights and open real doors. Our community has reach, power, and influence, while remaining warm, welcoming, and deeply supportive. Ellevate is where changemakers cultivate their voice, build bridges of understanding, and mobilize for impact.We also partner with leading companies to improve hiring, retention, and diversity, equity, and inclusion across organizations.Our History:Ellevate Network (formerly known as 85 Broads) was founded in 1997 by Janet Hanson, one of the first women promoted to sales management at Goldman Sachs. During a moment of transition in her own life, she realized that clarity comes from community—and that women needed a place to share insight, opportunity, and support. What began as an unofficial network for women connected to Goldman Sachs quickly expanded across industries and continents. In 2014, the community rebranded from 85 Broads to Ellevate Network to reflect its evolution from a finance-focused group to a broad, diverse, global community of ambitious and values-driven women+ working together to change the culture of business.

Recent Episodes

E502 | Manage Yourself to Lead Others with Margaret C. Andrews
NOV 14, 2025
E502 | Manage Yourself to Lead Others with Margaret C. Andrews
<p><em style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">In this thought-provoking episode of the Ellevate Podcast, host Ally McDonald sits down with leadership expert, Harvard instructor, and MYLO Center founder Margaret C. Andrews for an honest, insightful conversation about what it truly means to lead. Drawing from her decades of research, teaching, and executive experience, Margaret shares the deeply personal origin story behind her new book, Managing Yourself to Lead Others—a moment when blunt feedback forced her to confront her own blind spots and reshape the way she showed up as a leader.</em></p><p><br></p><p><em style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Together, Ally and Margaret explore the often-overlooked foundation of great leadership: understanding and managing yourself. They discuss why so many high performers struggle with self-awareness, how intention and behavior can clash, and why emotions—far from being obstacles—are critical data that inform our decisions and our impact on others. Through compelling examples from Margaret’s work with leaders around the world, they unpack the patterns, challenges, and transformative shifts that help people bridge the gap between who they think they are and how others experience them.</em></p><p><em style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">This episode is rich with reflection, psychology, and practical wisdom. Whether you’re an emerging leader or a seasoned executive, Margaret’s insights will challenge you to pause, look inward, and consider how mastering yourself is the key to elevating not just your work—but everyone around you.</em></p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Manage-Yourself-Lead-Others-Self-Understanding/dp/1541705688/ref=sr_1_1?crid=9RQ5BWC7J81V&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.3Bm_t06vwCM4mKPqhSgOjRRVZ9oi3r-gTZi8S4z6dra5CBAGoVtJSpIsDW25C4LrSBgYitNPUq0nUauaW8op6PRP8SfpCErBNsTwW9HFFwkO9Saa7OXzQEZZhRKMJqEFIROtCjkns-InGoxmIeZ7XH7X-jyPb8R8xVLNEU3JAuH4KDmGWLZXCsqr868WRRrzznpeRdvgPEW1JpG1KUopF1OlatW1q9c1VC_pSq6zJ8c.RyGCrYUV7WJJOCV6nH1t2sgyseRQaaXms_Qvb-2Lkds&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=margaret+andrews&amp;qid=1747148123&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=margaret+andrews%2Cstripbooks%2C110&amp;sr=1-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Manage Yourself to Lead Others: Why Great Leadership Begins with Self-Understanding</a> By <a href="https://www.margaretandrews.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Margaret Andrews</a>. </p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>To learn more about Ellevate Network and how we’re building a community that supports women+ at every stage of their careers, visit <a href="https://www.ellevatenetwork.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ellevatenetwork.com</a> or reach out to <a href="mailto:[email protected]" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[email protected]</a>. </p>
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32 MIN
E501 | Moving Forward Towards an Unknown Future
OCT 29, 2025
E501 | Moving Forward Towards an Unknown Future
<p><strong style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">In this candid, tools-forward conversation, Ingrid Goldbloom Bloch—founder of Mosaic Careers—shares how to use design thinking to navigate real constraints and real possibilities. She explains why human problems aren’t linear, how to distinguish circumstances from thoughts, and how small reframes shift feelings, actions, and results. Ingrid introduces the idea of “gravity problems” (unchangeable realities like caregiving load or a tight budget) and redirects energy toward what <em>is</em> changeable: the stories you tell yourself, the skills you emphasize, the micro-experiments you try, and the support you invite in through radical collaboration.</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Drawing on exercises like Odyssey Planning and the “8–12 lives” thought experiment, Ingrid helps listeners surface the themes that run across their many possible futures—then translate those themes into low-risk pilots and resume narratives that point where they’re going, not just where they’ve been. She also tackles time pressure with her “tiger time” practice (non-negotiable blocks for high-energy work), attention batching, and matching tasks to your natural energy curve. Finally, Ingrid invites a kinder inner dialogue—asking whether you’ve become your own toxic boss, and how models like Internal Family Systems can help you notice, name, and soften the inner critic. The result is a grounded roadmap for moving forward toward an unknown future—one reframe, one micro-step, and one protected block of time at a time.</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Thank you to our sponsor Gies College of Business</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Want to be considered for the podcast? Send an email to <strong>[email protected] </strong>with your topic focus and a short bio.</p><p><br></p><p>To learn more about Ellevate Network and how we’re building a community that supports women+ at every stage of their careers, visit <a href="https://www.ellevatenetwork.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>ellevatenetwork.com</strong></a> or reach out to <strong>[email protected]</strong>.</p>
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31 MIN
E500 | The Mindset of Modern Leadership
OCT 23, 2025
E500 | The Mindset of Modern Leadership
<p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Founder &amp; CEO of Paravis Partners and host of HBR’s </span><em style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Coaching Real Leaders</em><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, Muriel M. Wilkins dives into the inner game of leadership: the beliefs that silently cap your impact. With Anusha, she demystifies adult development theory (it’s not change, it’s range), shows how to align mindset with increasing complexity, and walks through seven common limiting beliefs she’s seen across 300+ senior clients—from “I need to be involved” to “I know I’m right” and “I can’t say no.” You’ll learn when those beliefs help, when they hinder scale, and how to reframe them so you can delegate, bring people along, and make better decisions under uncertainty. Muriel also shares how to coach peers (and boards) by starting with curiosity and goals, plus a candid look at writing </span><em style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Leadership Unblocked</em><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> and why this conversation belongs in the corporate arena, not just parenting or wellness.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Thank you to our sponsor </span><strong style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Gies College of Business.</strong></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Connect with Muriel Wilkins ​​</span><a href="http://www.murielwilkins.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">www.murielwilkins.com</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span></p><p><br></p><p>Want to be considered for the podcast? Send an email to <strong>[email protected]</strong> with your topic focus and a short bio.</p><p><br></p><p>To learn more about Ellevate Network and how we’re building a community that supports women+ at every stage of their careers, visit <a href="https://www.ellevatenetwork.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>ellevatenetwork.com</strong></a> or reach out to <strong>[email protected]</strong>.</p>
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29 MIN
E499 | The Power of Being Unstuck with Helen Hanison
OCT 16, 2025
E499 | The Power of Being Unstuck with Helen Hanison
<p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Host Anusha sits down with Helen Hanison—leadership speaker, former board-level PR director, and author of </span><em style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Unstuck: A Smart Guide to Purposeful Career Redesign</em><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">—to decode what being “stuck” really looks like for high achievers. Helen shares her formula: start by acknowledging stuckness, then design a personal career compass (strengths, values, purpose), and iterate using Agile Career Design. They explore practical tactics like job crafting inside your current role, running low-risk pilot tests, and “collecting conversations” instead of stiff networking. You’ll hear how to talk about short stints or zig-zags in interviews, how to curate your narrative on LinkedIn, and why it’s never too late to redesign a career that feels alive and aligned. Helen also pulls back the curtain on bringing her book "Unstuck" to life via a hybrid publishing process—and why support and accountability turn insight into action.</span></p><p><br></p><p>Thank you to Gies College of Business for sponsoring this Ellevate Podcast. </p><p><br></p><p>Want to be considered for the podcast? Send an email to <strong>[email protected] </strong>with your topic focus and a short bio. To learn more about Ellevate Network and how we’re building a community that supports women+ at every stage of their careers, visit <a href="https://www.ellevatenetwork.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>ellevatenetwork.com</strong></a> or reach out to <strong>[email protected].</strong></p>
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25 MIN
E498 | Brave on Purpose: Melanie Curtis Redefines What It Means to Take the Leap
OCT 9, 2025
E498 | Brave on Purpose: Melanie Curtis Redefines What It Means to Take the Leap
<p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Host Anusha Harid-Paoletti sits down with author, activist, and world-record skydiver Melanie Curtis to reframe what fear really is—and how to act anyway. Melanie shares the mental playbook she uses from aircraft door to boardroom: identify fear’s signal, interrupt it with breath, name the sentence you’re believing, and choose a simple, confidence-anchored reframe. She opens up about healing and vulnerability (and why both are skills you can practice), then takes us behind her documentary that parallels the 80-woman, 200-mph world record with the grit of the women’s suffrage movement. For parents, educators, and young women, Melanie offers ways to cultivate safe support, permission to care about what lights you up, and a path to real resilience. We close with what’s next: fewer jumps, more stages, and a mission to champion women and girls by speaking boldly in every room.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Thank you to our sponsors Gies College of Business&nbsp;</span></p><p><br></p><p>Want to be considered for the podcast? Send an email to <strong>[email protected]</strong> with your topic focus and a short bio.</p><p><br></p><p>To learn more about Ellevate Network and how we’re building a community that supports women+ at every stage of their careers, visit <a href="https://www.ellevatenetwork.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>ellevatenetwork.com</strong></a> or reach out to <strong>[email protected]</strong>.</p>
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31 MIN