This episode of The Driven Women Project Podcast is not just for mothers—it’s for any woman who has ever questioned society’s definition of success.

If you’ve ever felt pressure to conform to someone else’s definition of success, this episode will reframe everything.

In this episode, I sit down with Neha Ruch, the founder of Mother Untitled, a movement redefining the way we view stay-at-home motherhood. Neha’s work has caught the attention of Oprah, Drew Barrymore, Kourtney Kardashian, Mandy Moore, and more, and her new book, The Power Pause, is changing the narrative around career breaks for women.

We talk about:

🔥 What it really means to be a driven woman

🔥 How to own your decisions—whether that means focusing on career, family, or both

🔥 The biases that women face when re-entering the workforce—and how to overcome them

🔥 Why pausing is not giving up, and how to preserve your career optionality

🔥 How to have financial conversations with your partner before stepping away from work

Connect with Neha and her movement here:

THE POWER PAUSE BOOK!! BUY HERE

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nehaleelaruch/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/motheruntitled/?hl=en

Website: https://www.motheruntitled.com/

Links: https://linkin.bio/motheruntitled/

If you want help with your own career shift, consider reaching out to Erin, an Executive Leadership Coach who has helped countless women make career transitions or come back to work after her own Power Pause.

Book a complimentary strategy call with Erin: https://erinsmithexecutivecoach.youcanbook.me/

Nominate a Driven Woman:

https://live.thedrivenwomenproject.com/nominateadrivenwoman

Connect with Erin Smith directly: erin@drivenbeyondexcellence.com

Download Erin’s free ebook: https://live.thedrivenwomenproject.com/ebook

Jen Saarbach spent nearly a decade rising from Associate to VP on Wall Street starting with Lehman Brothers in 2008, Barclays, and then Morgan Stanley, after which she decided to leave the finance world, only to recently return with a passion for democratizing access to Wall Street for everyone. She co-founded The Wall Street Skinny which is a phenomenal platform that quickly exploded on social media, and is now offering courses to help folks competitively prepare for a career on Wall Street.

Jen and her co-founder, Kristen Kelly, host a podcast of the same name absolutely loaded with information that aims to demystify the world of finance. They explain jargon, talk with experts, and straight up teach listeners everything from “what is an investment bank” to portfolio management to private equity and hedge funds – they also tackle topics like what it’s like to be a woman on wall street.

This has been one of my favorite conversations to date. Jen is full of incredible insights and she gets straight to the point. This episode is packed full of tips and Jen is a fast talker so you will want to listen to this episode multiple times to make sure you catch all the gems.

We talk about:

• Quality mentorship
• How women can sometimes be harder on other women than men
• How to think about leaving behind a legacy you can be proud of
• Make sure you listen to the end because Jen drops some advice about how to be your authentic self in an intense environment filled with pressure to perform. IT'S EXCELLENT!

Want to learn more about Jen and The Wall Street Skinny?:

Follow The Wall Street Skinny:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/thewallstreetskinny/

LinkedIn Jen Saarbach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-saarbach/

LinkedIn The Wall Street Skinny: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-wall-street-skinny/posts/?feedView=all

Nominate a Driven Woman:

https://live.thedrivenwomenproject.com/nominateadrivenwoman

Connect with Erin Smith directly: erin@drivenbeyondexcellence.com

Download Erin’s free ebook: https://live.thedrivenwomenproject.com/ebook

I’m excited to share this conversation with you because Dr. Gail Lebovic has an incredibly impressive background in multiple male dominated fields. Most importantly, she has committed her career to improving the delivery of healthcare for patients around the world, especially woman’s health. Internationally recognized for her groundbreaking work as an Oncoplastic Surgeon, Dr. Lebovic is also highly regarded as a creative inventor and successful serial entrepreneur.

Along with her highly skilled team, she has developed and brought to market numerous innovative products. The team has achieved multiple successful acquisitions totaling nearly $500M.

Dr. Lebovic holds over 50 US patents, is a member of the Forbes Business Council, and currently serves as Founder and CEO of Silicon Valley Innovations. Her company is focused on bringing novel drug delivery platforms to the multi-billion dollar nasal healthcare and feminine healthcare markets. Their initial product called NasoClenz is on the market as the first intranasal antiseptic, perfect for those of us seeking nasal relief products.

Dr. Lebovic told me she loves to pay attention to areas of the body that are neglected – like the nose. I tried NasoClenz, and let me tell you, it is the product I never knew I needed, and now I will not travel without it. You know how your nose gets dry on airplanes? Well this stuff was a dream. NasoClenz was also designed for patients with allergies, chronic sinus issues, CPAP users and more.

She has served as director of several important clinical programs and is the Founder of the Society of Oncoplastic Surgery,

Listen in to hear how Dr. Lebovic did all of this, including her take on being likable, and how she navigated being told in medical school that being a surgeon is not for women!

Enjoy the show and Stay Driven!

Meet Dr. Lebovic: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaillebovic/

Visit Dr. Lebovic’s news blog here: https://svi-inc.com/news/

Nominate a Driven Woman:

https://live.thedrivenwomenproject.com/nominateadrivenwoman

Connect with Erin Smith directly: erin@drivenbeyondexcellence.com

Download Erin’s free ebook: https://live.thedrivenwomenproject.com/ebook

🌟 Meet Kat Benzova: Rock Photography's Trailblazer! 🎸📸 🌟

From a globe-trotting fashion model to the tour photographer for Guns N’ Roses, Kat

Benzova has become one of the world's most sought-after rock photographers.

She's worked with legends like AC/DC, Aerosmith, KISS, and many more. With her

own philanthropic foundation, Mission 11, Kat's work and social impact are awe

inspiring, and she is nowhere near done evolving.

🔊 Tune in to hear: 🔊

• 🎤 Exclusive insights from Kat’s extraordinary journey.
• 💪 Struggles and triumphs in an intense male-dominated industry.
• 🌍 Inspiring stories from her charitable foundation, MISSION 11.
• 🧠 Mindset and growth: Overcoming challenges and finding balance.
• 💡 Empowering perspectives: How environment shapes us and the importance of rebalancing our feminine energy.

Don't miss this episode filled with powerful moments and valuable lessons. Listen now and get inspired to create your extraordinary life! 🎧✨

Kat’s website: https://www.katbenzova.com/about

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katbenzova_rockphoto/

Nominate a Driven Woman:

https://live.thedrivenwomenproject.com/nominateadrivenwoman

Schedule a complimentary strategy call with Erin: https://erinsmithexecutivecoach.youcanbook.me

Download Erin’s free ebook: https://live.thedrivenwomenproject.com/ebook

• Vasanta’s path from majoring in Anthropology to wanting to be a food writer to becoming an investment banker.
• We also talk about the difference between how men and women build trust in the workplace, and how she dealt with men in her office who didn’t understand her methods.
• How exhausting it is to not be yourself, and how it kills trust
• How following your passion leads you to figure out the “how” to make it happen.
• Knowing how to do something is not the driver, and not knowing how to do something wont stop you if you have a passion for it.
• If you don’t have a passion, look for your super power. What are you really good at.
• We also talk about how you don’t have to subscribe to the belief that competition is best. A rising tide lifts all boats. You can hear this advice but u don’t have to agree with it just because lots of people say it, but listen as we talk about it and decide for yourself.

Helpful links:

Connect with Vasanta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vasantapundarika/

Nominate a Driven Woman:

https://live.thedrivenwomenproject.com/nominateadrivenwoman

Connect with Erin Smith directly: erin@drivenbeyondexcellence.com

Download Erin’s free ebook: https://live.thedrivenwomenproject.com/ebook

https://live.thedrivenwomenproject.com/nominateadrivenwoman

Connect with Erin Smith directly: erin@drivenbeyondexcellence.com

𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿-𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱, 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Dianne Nolan, former basketball coach and current broadcaster, shares her compelling journey on our show today. With 43 years in a male-dominated field, Dianne talks about facing initial resistance in sports coaching, transitioning to broadcasting without credentials, and her passion-driven success.

Her story from coaching women's basketball to being a respected color commentator is truly inspirational.

Dianne touches on gender pay disparities in sports, the role of marketing in bridging this gap, and the importance of self-promotion for women.

Her insights are vital for anyone striving to tackle challenges and advance in their fields.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲:

𝙁𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009529504055

𝙇𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙚𝙙𝙄𝙣:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianne-nolan-2184592b/

𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢:

https://www.instagram.com/dianne_nolan_2015/

Please help us help more women succeed in male dominated fields by giving this podcast 5 stars and subscribing on your preferred podcast platform.

If you know a driven woman who needs to be a guest on this show you can nominate her here: https://live.thedrivenwomenproject.com/nominateadrivenwoman

"Changing the game from within — sometimes you need to create a new path to shine as a leader."

Erica D'Eramo, a trailblazer in the energy sector and champion of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), joins us on today's episode. Founder of Two Piers Consulting, Erica is a mechanical engineer with two decades of experience in the international energy industry, now dedicated to elevating DEI in workplaces.

In this episode, Erica and I talk about how she decided to become a mechanical engineer despite initially believing it sounded too boring! Because girls often look at math and science related fields and think it sounds hard or uninteresting, right?

Erica also shares her thoughtful theory as to why so few women enter into male dominated fields, and why the few who do, don’t always last. It isn’t what you may think, and has to do with how girls and boys are socialized differently.

I was most excited to learn what her life was like from being one of two women on a boat out in the ocean for 30 days at a time, to being in the board room being surrounded by men, - these are two totally different environments that she needed to navigate – listen carefully to hear her techniques and how she handled being told that swearing is not “lady-like.”

Make sure you listen all the way through because Erica talks about what well intentioned organizations need in order to make their diversity equity and inclusion initiatives truly effective.

- Learn more about Erica's work: https://www.twopiersconsulting.com/

- Reach out to Erica: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-deramo/

And don't forget to leave a review or share the episode to inspire another woman who might be on her own path in a male-dominated career!