Stories of women who are thriving as 'an only', defying all odds
In this episode of the Embracing Only podcast, co-host Olivia Cream interviews Dr. Rana Dajani. Dr.Dajani, prolific scientist and social entrepreneur shares with us her journey to becoming the worlds leading Arab scientist. We discuss how to combat bias when migrating to a different culture, gender disparities in STEM, and assumptions we all make that impact the world around us.
Read MoreIn this episode we are thrilled to welcome #OperationGrowthCoach Brandi Richard Thompson! An expert coach and entrepreneur Brandi Thompson shares her journey from a college dropout to transformational growth strategist. She highlights how she recovered from failure; how she battles fear and perfectionism; and how history plays a role in helping Brandi understand the dynamics of interracial relationships.
Read MoreIn this episode of The Embracing Only podcast Joyal Mulheron talks about her traumatic experience that led to her purposeful vision of creating a Global system that supports anyone who has lost a loved one.
Death is an affliction that will affect us all. Joyal’s purpose is to provide support to those who need it most, when they need it most. In this episode she shares with us the startling statistics around death and the impact it has on the living. She dissects this often unspoken affliction and helps us understand why we need to focus on bereavement.
Read MoreIn her new book, THE FIRST, THE FEW, THE ONLY: How Women of Color Can Redefine Power in Corporate America (March 1, 2022, Harper Business), Deepa Purushothaman lays the groundwork for how other women of color can redefine success on their own terms. It’s the book she says she needed when launching her own career. In this episode of the Embracing Only Podcast, Archita Fritz and Olivia Cream unpack these stories as they share how they saw themselves on every page of the book for the first time. They talk through the inclusion delusion, the toll on the health of women leading from the front and the definitions women of color take on and how women of color can step into their power! Deepa’s book recieved raving reviews from Indra Nooyi, Billie Jean King, Dan Pink and many others. This episode is for all women of color, women and allies on the journey to building more inclusive workplaces.
PC: Leslie Bohm
Read MoreIn this episode Olivia and Archita dig deep and unpack doomsday scrolling within the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine and share tangible ways to focus on our controllables. They tackle Olivia’s personal journey of defining ‘What it means to be a woman’ after life altering changes due to surgery or illness. They wrap up with questioning what our legacy is in a world that seems to be constantly hustling and performing.
Read MoreIn this episode NIyati shares her journey of leading from the front to #Breakthebias and cultural stigma associated with a cancer diagnosis in the black and brown communities. Olivia and Niyati share their individual experiences of navigating the healthcare system as people of color and the limits it puts on one’s experiences. Through humor and education Niyati emphasizes the importance of being your biggest advocate if you were to find yourself in a similar situation. She infuses humor and talks about her immigrant experience stepping into the American Midwest as an engineering student back in the early 2000’s. Most importantly she shares how one can thrive in their ‘onlyness’ while paying it forward for others in a journey of their own.
Read MoreThe Embracing Only podcast introduces ordinary women who have defied the odds as they navigated their professional careers as 'an ONLY'. In this episode Archita Fritz and Olivia Cream engage, inform, empower and provide actionable ways in which the listeners can see the change they seek to rise and shine in their professional space as we continue to navigate uncertainty, loss and see more women join the influx of the Great Resignation.
Read MoreIn this episode Linda Crockett unpacks why she call’s workplace harassment and bullying an epidemic and provides examples of how this has showed up in her personal life that led her on her journey to help eradicate it. She shares strategies for victims of workplace harassment and bullying on how they can lead with clarity, courage, confidence and reporting to make their way to recovery. She provides her perspective on how bringing all parties together and helping even the said perpetrators can only truly help us address the silent challenges with face with this epidemic.
Read MoreIn this, the season 4 opener of The Nine Oh Six, Olivia Cream and Archita Fritz tackle fear, power and our own limiting beliefs. Learn how you can conquer your fears, not give power to them, how you can claim power from them and finally be aware of those limiting beliefs!
Read MoreJessica describes herself as a wife, toddler mom, beach bum, aspiring foodie and a Broadway super fan. I’m also a vocal coach, professor, and researcher who is hell bent on helping women get what they want and change their lives.
In this episode she shares how knowing to you your voice voice is powerful! In the way you speak to others, and the way you speak to yourself, lies the power to change your entire life. The best part is - you have the ability to harness that power! You are in control. She shares her journey with finding her own voice and how the magician’s toolbox that she has built empower many women from the stage to the boardroom!
Read MoreMecca Moore Tartt's love of empowering women and creating safe spaces for women to come together has led to her creating events for women focused on Health/Wellness, Relationships, and Motherhood with the launch of her company BESTU LLC. This busy multi-tasking wife and mother of two beautiful girls shows women that its true “You Can Have It All!”.
Mecca a Power 30 Under 30 Recipient strives for excellence in all that she does and shows other women how to do it too.
In this episode she shares how important mindset is towards anything you want to accomplish in life. She shares how coaches and advocates can help shape your journey as an 'Only' at the table. Most importantly she implores women to embrace their own health and wellness as they choose to challenge the notion that women can't have it all!
Read MoreDr. Kimberly Young-McLear is a Black, queer, scholar, engineer, and educator who is unreservedly committed to human resilience, human dignity, and human rights. Inspired by her educational foundation at Florida A&M University and the long legacy of freedom fighters from the African diaspora, she became an anti-bullying and anti-harassment policy expert who uses evidence-based research to promote justice and equity.
In 2019, she was one of few LGBTQ active duty service members invited as a State of the Union Guest of Honor. Kimberly represented Connecticut’s 2nd District for her tireless efforts to stand against systemic bullying and harassment in the Coast Guard. Following her public testimony at a joint Congressional hearing into the Coast Guard, she has been credited for the advancement of over 30 service-wide policy changes.
In this episode she unpacks what carrying the badge of whistleblower brings and how she has had to build up her self esteem. She shares how she doesn't let fear get in her way of having the audacity to be her full self and so much more!
Read MoreIn this episode of The Nine Oh Six #chosetochallenge two diagnosis as she fought Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Jess was first diagnosed at the age of 19 and then seven years later she found herself as a patient in the stem cell transplant unit where she served as an ICU nurse. She finds strength in her meditation, prayer, mindfulness and gratitude practice.
Read MoreOn this episode of The Nine Oh Six, Archita and Olivia unpack how we all can intentionally ride the ship vs. the wave of the social justice movement. They then look at the workplace and talk through the impact of the bystander effect and how important it is to choose to challenge our limiting beliefs, those of others in a way, in which you can control the controllables. They wrap it up with talking about the shadow we cast as leaders, workplace burnout and how asking for help and knowing how to do so has never been more important than now! Tune in to unpack how you #choosetochallenge!
Read MoreJeanine McIntosh Menze was awarded her ‘wings of gold’ on June 24, 2005 and became the first Black female aviator in the 215-year history of the United States Coast Guard! In this episode of The Nine Oh Six Jeanine shares how her staying true to not only her why but her how helps her conquer fear in all walks of her life. She challenges us to cancel out the noise, especially the negative self talk that keeps ‘the only’s’ from seeking with clarity the light they were meant to shine in. She encourages us all to reach back and pull up another woman as we continue to scale our leadership journeys.
Read MoreIn the book Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, historian Yuval Noah Harari argues that each human is an amalgam of constantly updating algorithms, evolved to optimize for the survival and reproduction of one set of genes (Harvill-Secker London, 2016). Sanhita attributes how her many experiences have contributed to the “algorithms” that direct her life.
In this episode of The Nine Oh Six she deconstructs how her class, career, education and race motivate and fuel her passion for finding ‘individual justice’. She challenges with kindness on how we can be intentional in what we choose to challenge and how uncomfortable we are willing to get. She walks us through the power of being the opressor and being opressed and her continued journey to challenge the underlying power conversation which requires an investment in imagination.
Read MoreThis episode provides a sneak peek into Season Three of The Nine Oh Six. Lots of changes: new guest co-host Olivia Cream join us this season! Focus this season is #ChoosetoChallenge. We will interview extraordinary women who are being intentional in what they #ChoosetoChallenge. Season 3 episodes drop March 8th!
Read MoreIn this episode both Meha and Archita reflect on the year that was 2020, their personal journeys navigating their professional and personal selves. They express their gratitude, reflect on the moments they elevated their voices, reflect on the social justice reckoning that continues to shape them and the intentional steps they are taking to shape their next journey around the sun in 2021!
Read MoreOlivia is a US Veteran born and raised in Jamaica, who was one of the first Black women Engineer Officers of a major Cutter to graduate from the US Coast Guard Academy. She has spent the last 8 years working in Corporate America driving the talent offense for teams around the world. She is passionate about changing the face of Corporate America and started a coaching practice to help under-represented high performers discover their why and win in the workplace. She is also writing a book ‘The Only: A survival guide for under represented employees in Corporate America.
Read MoreAnastasia Thatcher Marceau is an executive in social impact consulting at Accenture. She's also a world traveler, an adjunct professor at The New School in New York City, and mom to two young daughters. In this episode, Anastasia shares with us how she dealt with the new reality of going back to corporate life after maternity leave, and how she is teaching her daughters the concept of self-love. Anastasia also reflects on how we don't need a title to make a difference in our workplace or our communities.
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