S1, E1: The Premiere of Smart Women Talking

Welcome to the Season 1 of "Smart Women Talking," the podcast where no topic is too hot to handle, and no wisdom too sacred to share. Join hosts Polly Meyer and Barbara Zuleger as they tear down the facades and get real about living, working, and thriving in today's whirlwind world. From climbing the corporate ladder to juggling diapers and deadlines—everything's on the table.

Tune in for unfiltered conversations with women —each bringing a trunk full of rich, multi-generational wisdom. We’re talking the nitty-gritty of professional life, the chaos and charm of family, the often overlooked joys that buzz beneath our breakneck days, and yes, even those secret sauces that make women so darn effective at what they do.

"Smart Women Talking" isn’t just about swapping stories—it’s about forging connections, listening earnestly, and evolving. As seasoned coaches, we don’t shy away from the tough talks that forge steel spines and soft hearts. We’re here to tackle the pervasive sense of isolation that haunts even the most connected among us, knitting together a community, thread by thoughtful thread.

Each episode arms you with actionable insights and tools for personal and professional triumph. And gentlemen, don’t wander off—there’s gold in here for you too.

Dive into the dialogue—leave comments, lob questions, share your sparks. Your insights fuel our fires and will find their spotlight in future episodes.

Subscribe to "Smart Women Talking" now. It’s where women’s wisdom doesn’t just whisper; it speaks boldly and unapologetically. Catch you on the airwaves!"

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome to Smart Women Talking, the podcast that brings you unfiltered wisdom
from women who've lived it all.
From the boardroom battles to raising families, no topic is off-limits and every
conversation is a treasure trove of insights, experiences, and heartfelt stories.
So welcome! Today we're going to be talking about why we've launched this podcast, Smart Women Talking.

(00:24):
Some of the topics and conversations that we plan to cover on this podcast,
and why we think it's important to have these conversations now.
So, Barb, I'd introduce you to Barbara Zuleger. She is my partner in crime, and I'm Polly Meyer.
So, Barb, why are you excited about this podcast?

(00:45):
You and I have had the opportunity to have amazing conversations with so many
women doing the work that we do.
And I want to share more of that with more people.
Oh, yeah. And, you know, unlike many other podcasts that target,
you know, let's say a specific age group or a career stage, our podcast embraces

(01:06):
women of all ages, right?
From those budding professionals to the seasoned sages, it bridges the generation
gaps. And it offers, I think...
A holistic perspective on a variety of topics.
I think it's the variety of topics that I'm most excited about.

(01:26):
Women's wisdom covers all areas of our lives, everything that touches our lives
and the lives of our families and our professional lives.
And to be able to bring conversations in that get people thinking about all
the different aspects where women have influence and impact.

(01:47):
Right, so like our podcast is going to focus on areas like family life,
leadership, relationships, business development, business,
social life, health, current news, financial matters, play and joy,
which I don't think women get enough of, and how women rise in their personal life.

(02:10):
You and I have experienced just about everything in all of those topics,
as well as many of the women that we interact with on a regular basis.
And although we are all connected to more people than ever before through the internet,
we also have this sense of isolation that is greater than I think we have experienced
in the past, giving us that opportunity to connect with other women and share

(02:36):
what we've learned in our experiences.
Maybe ask some of those questions that others are not comfortable asking so
that we can dig a little deeper and help each other.
We're not going to put a polish or a top coat on the issues that we're talking about.
You know, we're going to get really deep into the issues.

(02:58):
You know, we're going to talk about the good, the bad and the ugly.
And that excites me. That is an exciting component of it.
We don't really benefit anyone if we only talk about, well, let's face it,
if we only talk about what people will put on a Facebook post, right?
We get to see all the happy things there.
But let's talk about the real life, how that impacts us.

(03:21):
How does having a family impact your professional life? How does your professional
life impact your social life?
You mentioned that that joy and play and fun.
Where did that go? And how do we bring more of that back into our lives?
Right. And in this podcast, you know, it celebrates the successes.
It acknowledges the challenges.

(03:42):
It provides tools for women to feel empowered in their professional and their personal lives.
And, you know, we didn't say this up front, but we are actually both coaches.
So Barb has decades-long experience as a business coach, and I have a decade-long
history as an executive coach.
So the conversations that we have had with just.

(04:07):
A myriad of women over our careers and men.
I was going to say, and it's not just women that we work with, it's men and women.
And I have no doubt we'll have some very smart men who want to hear what we
have to talk about as well.
Or even to support the women in their lives, right? Well, because everything
that happens, everything that impacts our lives impacts theirs and vice versa.

(04:29):
True. Right? We don't live in complete isolation, even though at times it It does feel like it.
You know, another exciting segment that we are introducing to this podcast is each week,
because we're going to be putting these up each week, is that each week we're
going to discuss a current news story that impacts the topics that we're discussing on our podcast.

(04:52):
So you're going to want to make sure that you tune in next week because we have a doozy.
So we hope that
you are as excited about this podcast as we
are and leave us your thoughts leave
us your comments and your questions because we're going to address them
in our podcasts ahead because your thoughts your stories your wisdom well they're

(05:17):
pretty damn important to us so that brings us to the end of this podcast and
thank you for listening and being a part of the conversation So if you enjoyed it, if you found value,
if you're excited about this as we are, subscribe to our podcast so you don't
miss an episode of Smart Women Talking.

(05:37):
Where women's wisdom doesn't whisper, it speaks boldly and unapologetically.
See you next week.