WOC and Allies: Business and Career Realtalk with Elaine Lou Cartas

I did a talk on emotional influence and how to get raises and start a business at the Queen Mary in Long Beach. It was for a women’s retreat with Humansave, a nonprofit that helps survivors of human trafficking. In this episode we talk about:

• Why your nervous system is your biggest leadership asset (or liability)
• The one document that gets you the raise, and why you should talk to your boss before you demand a raise
• How to stop ov...

As a female leader, unfortunately, you aren’t alone when it comes to leadership, anxiety and self-advocacy.

This is part 2 of my keynote recording from SoCal Amazon Women’s Conference. But this time, I’m joined by 3 other incredible women of color operations leaders from Amazon who rose through the ranks quickly. In this episode, we get into:

• What it looks like to lead a team of 100+ while holding it together 
• Why playing it safe ...

My SoCal Amazon Women’s Conference Keynote is live, we cover:

• How your trauma responses are showing up at work; and what to do about it
• Why communication works exactly like a supply chain (yes, really)
• Word-for-word scripts for your next difficult conversation

Oh, and there's a genuinely sweet moment with my dad that I did not plan for. You'll know it when you see it.

Where We Can Connect:
Schedule a Business &...

Every single time I listened to my body instead of pushing through, it worked out. The reality is, we are humans. We have a full life outside of work. I share more on this week’s episode: my personal stories, struggles and the science to embracing UN-PUSHING:

In this episode, I share the practical, how-to techniques I taught in a live workshop with 19 minority-owned business owners and allies, including:

• The science behind rest, ...

Main Points

When conversations get tense at work, how do you make sure you don’t over-explain, shut down or things escalate?

In this episode, I break down how to communicate with confidence, clarity and composure when pressure is on

• How to not over explain
• What to do if you really can’t meet a deadline
• How to give feedback
• How to handle contentious discussions without losing composure
• A 3 part structure on how to have your words land
<...

Main Points

It’s the second month of 2026 &  despite the uncertainty, my business is growing not by hustling, but with more calmness and focus: 

In this episode, I share the practical, how-to techniques I taught in a live workshop with 19 minority-owned business owners and allies, including:

• How editing my P&L helped me measure ROI (one change led to 500% ROI, another to 5,000% ROI)
• How I increased email open rates from 25%...

Main Points

Burnout seems to be a trending word, so what do we do? It’s not about working harder. In this episode I share:

• Why you SHOULDN’T be doing a lot in 1 day (it takes ~ 23 minutes to refocus)
• Why “doing nothing” is actually how clarity forms (there’s science behind it)
• Why and how over-availability becomes a survival skill especially for women
• My results of when I stopped designing my life around “urgency”

Resources Ment...

Main Points

• Why my losing pitch led to sales
• Personal brand > AI: my actual techniques on how my conversion rate is 70%
• How I grew my email open rate from 10% to 75%

Resources Mentioned:

• Connect with Monica Schrock
• Following Monica on Instagram: @moneyschrock
• Connect with Monica on LinkedIn
• Monica’s Podcast: Play Like A They
• Porsche Human Made Cartoon

Where We Can Connect:
Schedule a Business & Career Review...

• Why I stopped drinking alcohol, it’s been 9 months now
• How pausing, rest and reflection helped me get
• Five reflection questions to help you ensure your calendar & bank account aligns with your values

Resources Mentioned:

• Follow Elaine on Instagram for Philippines photos + reflections: @elainelou_
• El Nido Resorts

Where We Can Connect:
Schedule a Business & Career Review call with me to see if it’s a good fit ...

This episode is the replay of my biggest talk to 10,000+ AI founders and engineers at /function1 Dubai.

I spoke about Emotional Intelligence (EI) at an AI conference, and they listened.

I broke EI down in a way technical audiences understand:

patterns → systems → data → small improvements.

Because no matter how advanced AI becomes, the most complex system I’ll ever work with is a human.

In this conversation, I share how EI shapes leader...

• Addicted to chaos and busyness? Maybe it’s cause your body learned that busyness felt safe. In this episode, we explore how to unlearn that pattern.
• I share the science behind why high achievers struggle to rest including the dopamine loop of achievement, the cortisol trap, and the trauma of chaos.
• You’ll learn why rest is important for your nervous system resetting.
• I’ll share how to replace overwork with presence, peace, and pur...

Main Points

• Money isn’t just math,  it’s a relationship. In this conversation with Certified Financial Planner and poet Uchechi Kalu, we unpack the real stories behind your bank account:
• Why your money mindset starts with culture & family, not spreadsheets.
• Uchechi’s 3-part framework: Technical · Psychological · Cultural; and how to use it like a wheel.
• The “Cost of Being You” exercise that reveals what enough truly means.
• How w...

How do you even start a business in 2025!? I sat down with my client (and friend) Uchechi Kalu, CFP®, 2024 Olympic Poet to talk about what it really looks like to go from being laid off… to working with over 700 clients, landing contracts with 5 major literary arts organizations, and already hitting 50% of her 2026 revenue goal.

• Uchechi’s layoff story and what it was like to start from zero
• Why starting a business isn’t for every...

Do you remember when the American Psychological Association came at us in 2023 and declared that middle age starts at 35? The absolute disrespect…In this episode, I’m talking about the conversations I’ve been having with so many of my clients that I’ve also been going through myself. Maybe you’re feeling like:

• “I’m done giving 100%—even my 20% is what most people call their 100.”
• “I don’t need another title bump. I just want to e...

• My turning point internship story that taught me doing great work isn’t enough—you also need to understand workplace culture, politics, and unspoken power dynamics.
• How to deal with workplace politics without being dirty
• How emotional intelligence (EI) drives leadership success research shows it outperforms technical skills and IQ.
• The four trauma responses (fight, flight, fawn, freeze) at work and practical scripts to stay calm i...

Being “the only” in the room, the only woman, the only woman of color, the youngest person, the only one who thinks differently can be both an honor and a heavy responsibility. In this episode, I share how to navigate that experience while still earning respect, making an impact, and opening doors for others to join you at the table.

You’ll hear:

• My personal journey of being “the only” from being born, my childhood to adulthood
• Th...

The science behind why your brain craves busyness (Answer: dopamine)

• How I’ve been rewiring my busyness cravings (& how you can too)
• What “rest guilt” really means, and how to repattern it especially if you’re a first-gen immigrant like me
• 5 questions to help you reconnect with the version of you beyond your job title.

Resources Mentioned:

• Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hershey
• Episode 114: My 1st Place Pitch Replay from S...

Today, I celebrate 8 years in business, and in true realtalk fashion, I’m keeping it REAL so you don’t have to repeat it.

In this episode I’m honest about:

• Following copy-and-paste frameworks I didn’t believe in
• Burning myself out where one day I slept at 9PM and woke up at 6PM the next day 
• Hose I use to joke, “I’m a broken Asian - I don’t understand numbers” (until a mentor called me in)
• Thinking MORE is better (Spoiler alert: it’...

Things are feeling heavy especially as a woman of color navigating work, family and everything else, so how do you even work right now in this chaos without betraying yourself? 

• How do you make sure you honor yourself?
• How do you advocate and educate WITHOUT the burnout? Or how do you not feel guilty if you don’t have it in you? 
• How can you be transparent with colleagues with how you’re feeling, while setting boundaries?

In t...