WOC and Allies: Business and Career Realtalk

What We Cover in This Episode:

Replay + Breakdown of My SCMSDC #1 Pitch (& why that wasn’t even my goal)

This episode isn’t just for business owners, it’s for leaders, job seekers, and anyone navigating relationships (yes, even the hard conversations with loved ones). Whether:

• You're pitching an idea at your next team meeting
• Prepping for a job interview
• Or presenting to a client

This episode is your reminder that pitch...

What We Cover in This Episode: 

I always get asked, ““Elaine, how are you even getting all these speaking gigs and clients when you don’t even have 5,000 followers on IG or LinkedIn!?”

Great question. And the truth is... I don’t. 😅

But what I do have are real relationships and a strategy that works offline.

I’m headed to the B3 Conference for Minority Business Owners next week in LA—where I’ll be speaking, pitching (as a finalist!), a...

“Ugh that generation is so entitled!” But are they really? As Jackie Dacanay shares, “The problem isn’t Gen Z asking so much, it’s not having the conversation early enough.”

So how do you lead a team made up of Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers especially when there are unspoken biases, stereotypes, and different values at play?

In this fireside chat I had at HR Retail, I talk with Jackie Dacanay, Northern California Regional Direct...

Got a team member who keeps missing deadlines and making mistakes? Dealing with a colleague who seems annoyed by anything that comes out of your mouth?

Last month, I did 3 speaking gigs back-to-back with different audiences:

• A C-Suite Retreat in Laguna Beach (fancy, right?)
• A session with the West Valley Warner Chamber of Commerce on teamwork cause the teamwork makes the dream works!)
• A private retreat at Lido House in Newport Beac...

“My job as a therapist is to get fired by you.”

When my EMDR therapist said that, I was like, “Wait, what!?” 😳

I’ve been going to therapy since college because it was “free” with my tuition.

But after almost a decade of talking about the same stuff without much change, I started noticing how my body reacted whenever I got triggered—tightness in my chest and throat, that fight-or-flight mode kicking in.

That’s when my therapist shared ...

I recently had the honor of sharing the stage with Chéla Gage, a Global HR Executive, speaking to HR leaders in Los Angeles about how to lead through chaos and make impactful decisions.

Spoiler alert: Brave leaders ask for advice, feedback, and insights—regardless of job titles (and egos).

In this podcast episode we discuss:

• How to inspire your team to problem solve (vs. going to you like Google)
• How to set boundaries and say no (c...

With the rise of layoffs in tech and finance, consumer trust in a low, many professionals and business owners are reconsidering their next steps. I share personal stories, client examples, and actionable strategies to help you make an empowered, strategic career decision.

What We Cover in This Episode: 

• How to assess your current career and financial stability
• Key questions to ask yourself before deciding to stay, leave, or pivot
• S...

Between news, notifications and nonstop content…

Thinking about a personal brand isn’t top of mind.

BUT how do we get our personal brand to stand out, while being empathetic with the chaos?

This is exactly what we tackled at my Soho Works Personal Branding Panel last week.

Fun fact: I got invited to this panel 6 days before the event, and invited my friend, Bernadette, to join the panel the day after and we still packed the room with 3...

Happy Lunar New Year! For me, 2025 started yesterday cause of the hot mess this past month.

And if 2025 ain’t cuttin it in February, we have the Persian New Year on March 20.

2025, YOU got a full quarter to pull yourself together. No excuses.

With everything going on in the world, how do we even market in 2025!?

Here’s what’s real: We have a trust problem.

• So, how do we fix it?
• How do we even market this...

If you’re from  California, last week was an endless cycle of  FIGHT OR FLIGHT. And even if you’re not in LA, moments of crises affect us all -- it’s part of being human, we don't live in LA, we are human and unfortunately face moments of crises.

This past Monday, I had a therapy session to process everything. It was ironincally perfect timing.

We talked about how important it is to protect our peace and prio...

2025 is in 2 days. I know -- WTH!?

I know that “New Year, New You” energy is coming in strong. The social media algorithm just wants us to dive straight into goal setting, and getting cute planners.

BUT. HOLD UP, AND WAIT A MINUTE.

Before we spring into 2025, let’s sit with 2024 and CHILL for a second.

Because let’s be real, 2024 came with lessons and a whole lotta plot twists.

And I got...

“I’m NOT an influencer. I don’t have a million followers.”

That’s exactly how I started my talk at the Rize Credit Union Event on, “How to Get Consistent Customers.”

“I don’t have a million followers. Actually, majority of you didn’t know who I was before this event. And you know what? That’s GREAT NEWS for you, because building a sustainable business doesn’t require a massive following -- and I’ll coach you throu...

It’s that time of year -- where we reflect and tell ourselves, “Okay, how’d we do in our goals?”

And if you aren’t Beyonce or Taylor Swift your response to this question is, “Damn…I didn’t…”

• Hit my revenue goals
• Leave my job even though I talk about it all the time
• Save $x for a home

Then anxiety settles in, and that big booming voice comes in, “What do I do now?”

Don’t worry, I get it. To be transparent, I didn’t hit ...

Let’s be real whether it is election season or not, we often want to AVOID touchy topics with family members during this time of year.

My solution for myself?

I’m leaving the country for a 2-week vacation to Australia and New Zealand this Saturday lol.

Alright back to you, how can I help you lol…

Well, I know a thing or two about protecting your peace post-elections as a former grassroots organiz...

We’re celebrating 100 episodes for the WOC & Allies: Business & Career Realtalk Podcast.

And since this podcast has the word “realtalk” in the title -- just wanted to share I was not looking cute recording this episode. I was wearing a Dodgers snuggie (a snuggie is a blanket with arm holes), a bun and PJs.

This podcast has absolutely evolved from 2 years ago when I first launched it in March 2022. I though...

This was my biggest talk to date to 200+ leaders and executives in-person. It’s interesting because attendees expected an exact formula for executive presence—like you need a certain percentage of extroversion or charisma (by the way you do NOT need both). Executive presence can be learned.

In this replay I share tools and frameworks on how to create your own executive presence.

In this talk I remind you to see yo...

I had the honor of speaking to over 200 leaders & executives on the topic of Executive Presence, and I had the pressure to also navigate tech sound issues...

The room was packed – standing room only, with people sitting on the floor and lining the walls. At one point, the event staff had to close the doors and turn people away due to fire safety concerns.

I shared more on how I prepared for this talk in my rec...

so i had a concussion 3 months ago

dont worry im perfectly fine now

I wanted to wait a couple of months before sharing the details.

And if you think I’m going to share in this email, I won’t--  you’ll just have to listen to the episode (I know I’m a tease…)
We all know that whenever post Labor Day hits everyone is always feeling SO overwhelmed.

We think we can be superheroes and do everything...

In the States, Labor Day which means summer is UNOFFICIALLY over…

This means the real work is here --getting ready for Q4.

Q4 is the busiest time of year for me and my clients where:

• Companies are working on hitting their numbers
• Holidays are coming up so getting ready to deal with triggering family members
• And more importantly making sure to have enough time for sanity lol

So how do you get ready?

F...