The Empowered Woman | Storytelling & Women Empowerment

Calle Foster is a leadership coach and speaker who helps Millennial and Gen Z women build confidence, strengthen communication, and develop their professional personal brands. She also helps leaders and organizations better understand the four generations currently in the workplace: Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. Calle explains how each generation's unique social and cultural experiences have shaped workplace behaviors, expectations, and communication styles. From Baby Boomers' institutional knowledge and value for face-to-face connection to Gen X's independence and emphasis on work-life balance, Millennials' role as workplace translators and sandwich-generation leaders, and Gen Z's experience entering the workforce during COVID, Calle offers valuable insight into moving beyond generational stereotypes and creating more supportive, sustainable workplaces. Calle also shares why empathy and perspective are essential to better workplace relationships, including a powerful story about her husband and his Gen Z intern that demonstrates how quickly assumptions can change when we pause and consider someone else's perspective. She discusses her work with individuals, team leaders, and organizations, helping people build confidence, communicate effectively, demonstrate their expertise, and become more visible in their careers. Calle also introduces her free resource, "5 Everyday Behaviors That Build Credibility and Influence," and shares her powerful definition of an empowered woman: reconnecting with the powerful woman already within you and calling her forward when you need her. Connect with Calle:Website: www.callefoster.com LinkedIn: Calle (Lieppman) Foster Instagram: @millennialleadershipcoach Let's keep the conversation going!Website: www.martaspirk.com Instagram: @martaspirk Facebook: Marta Spirk Want to be my next guest on The Empowered Woman Podcast?Apply here: www.martaspirk.com/podcastguest Watch my TEDx talk: www.martaspirk.com/Speaking

In this episode, we're joined by Michelle Gelband, a sex therapist in New York City and the founder of Openly Health, a platform designed to help women navigate sexual health care across every stage of life. Michelle shares how her years working in OB-GYN settings revealed a major gap in conversations around sexual health, pain, pleasure, and intimacy, and how her own experience with endometriosis and a fragmented healthcare system deepened her passion for creating change. She opens up about her personal journey with painful periods, painful sex, advocating for herself as a patient, and the challenges of finding providers who looked beyond the surface to understand what was really happening. Michelle also shares her vision for Openly Health, which brings providers, resources, education, products, and an anonymous community together in one place so women don't have to search across countless websites to find trustworthy support. She discusses building the platform in beta, gathering feedback from women and providers, navigating the stigma and shame surrounding sexual health, and the realities of being an entrepreneur building something deeply personal and meaningful. Michelle explains how Openly Health aims to make care more accessible, normalize conversations around sex, and help women understand that pain is not something they simply have to accept. She also answers the million-dollar question: What is an empowered woman? Her answer is a powerful reminder that empowerment can mean continuing forward even when doubt, fear, or difficult emotions are present. Connect with Michelle:Website: www.openlyhealth.io Instagram: @openlyhealth | @michellegelband TikTok: Michelle Gelband Let's keep the conversation going!Website: www.martaspirk.com Instagram: @martaspirk Facebook: Marta Spirk Want to be my next guest on The Empowered Woman Podcast?Apply here: www.martaspirk.com/podcastguest Watch my TEDx talk: www.martaspirk.com/Speaking

In this inspiring conversation, Lori Mayberry, Executive Director of Get Out the Vote PAC, shares her unexpected journey from working behind the scenes as an operations manager to becoming the public face of a growing political organization. Lori explains how the passing of her business partner and the organization's founder, Steve, pushed her into a leadership role that required her to learn fundraising, politics, communication, and organizational leadership along the way. She also discusses how her own experience as someone who once had many questions about politics shaped the way she communicates with voters. From voter outreach and education to fundraising and building recurring donor support, Lori explains how her organization uses targeted communication, texting, phone calls, and digital advertising to help people understand elections and participate in the voting process. Lori also reflects on the organization's grassroots beginnings, its growth, and the impact of strategic voter outreach and donor support. She shares lessons from her experience supporting races in Virginia, the importance of building relationships and coalitions, and the many ways people can contribute beyond making a financial donation. At the heart of the conversation is the idea of an empowered woman as someone who is willing to learn, grow, step outside what she already knows, and take on challenges even when they feel unfamiliar. Lori's story is a powerful reminder that leadership and empowerment can come from being willing to dig in, learn something new, and grow into the role that life places in front of you. Connect with Lori:Website: www.gotv.vote LinkedIn: Lori Mayberry Let's keep the conversation going!Website: www.martaspirk.com Instagram: @martaspirk Facebook: Marta Spirk Want to be my next guest on The Empowered Woman Podcast?Apply here: www.martaspirk.com/podcastguest Watch my TEDx talk: www.martaspirk.com/Speaking

In this episode, Cathy Derksen shares her unexpected journey from a career in medical genetics and financial planning to creating multi-author books that give women the opportunity to become published authors. Cathy explains how becoming an author herself in 2019 sparked a passion for helping women share their stories, wisdom, experiences, and lessons with the world. Through her multi-author books, each featuring approximately 20 women around a shared theme, Cathy creates opportunities for women to build confidence, connect with a global community, and amplify what they are doing in their lives and businesses. She also shares how authors receive support throughout the writing and publishing process, from developing their chapter and editing to professional publishing, marketing, and opportunities for visibility. Cathy also shares inspiring stories of women who initially believed their stories were not important enough to share, only to discover the powerful impact their words could have on others. She discusses how participating in a multi-author book can become a starting point for women who eventually want to write their own books, build a platform, or expand their visibility. Cathy's work has grown into a larger community through her Women's Wisdom and Impact Collective, connecting authors from her various books through networking and spotlight opportunities. At the heart of Cathy's message is the belief that an empowered woman takes ownership of her passions and goals, gives herself permission to embrace new possibilities, and remembers that it is never too late to start something new. Connect with Cathy:Website: www.inspiredtenacity.com LinkedIn: Cathy Derksen Instagram: @inspired_tenacity Facebook: Cathy Derksen Let's keep the conversation going!Website: www.martaspirk.com Instagram: @martaspirk Facebook: Marta Spirk Want to be my next guest on The Empowered Woman Podcast?Apply here: www.martaspirk.com/podcastguest Watch my TEDx talk: www.martaspirk.com/Speaking

Victoria Wright is an author, speaker, and mentor who helps people challenge the limiting beliefs that keep them playing small so they can step into a more limitless life. In this episode, Victoria shares the deeply personal turning point that transformed her own life. After being unexpectedly demoted during a corporate reorganization, she experienced a profound crisis of identity and began confronting the beliefs and inner criticism she had carried for years. What initially felt like a devastating setback ultimately became the catalyst for a spiritual awakening, early retirement, and a completely new chapter that led her to writing, speaking, and mentoring. Victoria opens up about how her journey taught her that many of the beliefs we carry are planted in us by family, culture, society, and our experiences, but that we have the power to decide which ones we continue to carry. Victoria also talks about her latest book, The Quiet Butterfly, a young adult story inspired in part by her experiences with bullying and her desire to help young people recognize their worth and inner strength. She shares how her own lived experiences shape the way she mentors others, offering guidance and a safe space for people to take the next step when they feel too overwhelmed to see what is possible. Victoria also reflects on what it means to be an empowered woman, describing empowerment as being able to simply be and recognize that what we need is already within us. Listeners can learn more about Victoria, explore her books and speaking work, and connect with her mentorship opportunities through her website, where she also offers a free 30-minute conversation for those interested in working with her. Connect with Victoria:Website: www.victoriawrightspeaks.com LinkedIn: Victoria Wright Instagram: @healingwordssource Facebook: Healing Words by Victoria Wright Let's keep the conversation going!Website: www.martaspirk.com Instagram: @martaspirk Facebook: Marta Spirk Want to be my next guest on The Empowered Woman Podcast?Apply here: www.martaspirk.com/podcastguest Watch my TEDx talk: www.martaspirk.com/Speaking