We Are Women Unapologetically

Something shifts before a reorg is ever announced.

Meetings move. Priorities change. Conversations happen without context. And the people who usually have answers stop sharing them.

This is the phase most leaders and managers struggle with, because you’re still expected to deliver, keep your team focused, and answer questions you don’t have answers to.

In this episode, I break down how to lead during that exact moment. Not after the a...

Why don’t you trust yourself… even when you know what to do?In this episode of We Are Women, Unapologetically, Jessica Cumming sits down with psychotherapist, speaker, and mindset coach Elaine Belson to unpack the real reason so many high-achieving professionals struggle with imposter syndrome, people pleasing, and self-doubt.This isn’t about a lack of confidence.It’s about a breakdown in self-trust.And when you don’t trust yoursel...

Episode Summary

Thinking about a career pivot but not sure what comes next?

In this episode of We Are Women, Unapologetically, I sit down with Gloria Bell to talk about career transitions, women in tech, transferable skills, and what it really takes to reinvent yourself professionally. If you’re feeling stuck, burned out, or ready for your next chapter, this conversation will help you get clear on what you want and take the next step...

You’ve worked hard, delivered results, stayed loyal, and still somehow… you’re being overlooked.

In Episode 20 of We Are Women Unapologetically, Jessica Cumming breaks down the truth so many high-achieving women learn too late: hard work alone will not get you promoted.

At a certain level, performance is expected. What actually creates more opportunities is visibility, advocacy, sponsorship, and strategic relationships.

If you’ve ever...

Have you built a successful career but still feel stuck inside? If you’re navigating a career transition, burnout, or wondering what to do next, Dawn Butler shares how women can move beyond survival mode and start reinventing their lives with intention.

In this episode of We Are Women Unapologetically, Jessica Cumming interviews Dawn Butler, a cybersecurity leader and podcast host with over 20 years of experience, to discuss career ...

Chaos does not mean you are failing. Sometimes it means you are being challenged to lead differently.

In this episode of We Are Women Unapologetically, Jessica sits down with Maartje van Krieken, a Dutch executive, fractional CEO/COO/CSO, and founder of Chaos Games Consulting, to explore what it really takes to lead through chaos.

With more than 20 years driving complex, high-stakes initiatives around the world, Maartje has built a c...

Scope creep isn’t just a project management problem — it’s a leadership gap.

In this episode of We Are Women Unapologetically, Jessica Cumming breaks down why high performers are often the ones quietly absorbing the cost of unclear agreements, shifting priorities, and undefined expectations.

If you’ve ever said “yes” to something and immediately felt resentment…
If your evenings are disappearing because “it’ll only take 10 minutes...

I’m joined by Orly Zeewy, author, brand strategist, and the woman who makes fuzzy clear. If you’ve ever felt like your work is valuable but your message is hard to explain, or your pricing still feels like a guess, this episode will land.

We talk about how to identify your zone of genius, communicate it in a way people understand quickly, and charge like the expert you actually are. Orly breaks down why women tend to underprice, how...

You changed the chapter.
The role.
The schedule.
Maybe even the whole direction of your life.

And still, the pace feels familiar. The pressure feels familiar. The push through mindset shows up like it never left.

In this solo episode of We Are Women, Unapologetically, I’m talking about the reason your new chapter can feel like your old one. Your brain is still running old default settings. Patterns that were built in seasons...

Some titles come with power. Others come with pressure. Tracy McDonald has held both.

She’s served as a U.S. Secret Service agent, a counterterrorism instructor, a global fraud consultant, and a Foreign Service spouse. But the moments that shaped her most weren’t the ones on paper — they were the ones behind closed doors, in countries few Americans will ever step foot in, when she had to ask herself: What now?

In this episode, Jessic...

You make around 35,000 decisions a day. When you don’t trust yourself, every one of those decisions costs more energy than it should. In this solo episode, I break down the internal override that turns everyday choices into mental drain. We talk about how self-trust gets replaced by approval, how conditioning hides behind “being responsible,” and the micro-moves that help you rebuild trust in real time. No dramatic reinvention requ...

In this episode, Jessica talks with Dr. Brandi Kelly, a licensed clinical social worker and former school superintendent who has spent over two decades in education. Brandi’s story starts with deep personal loss. She was in high school when her brother drowned, and that moment changed everything. Since then, she’s walked through grief, burnout, family challenges, and the pressure of leadership at the highest levels.

Now, she’s the f...

Stop making other people’s comfort your responsibility. If you’ve been swallowing comments, smoothing tension, or staying quiet to keep the peace, it’s not “maturity”—it’s self-silencing. And over time, it chips away at your confidence, your self-trust, and even your nervous system’s ability to feel safe being seen.

In this episode, Jessica Cumming breaks down what really happens when you finally speak up—not dramatically, not aggre...

What if burnout wasn’t the end but your invitation to begin again?

In this powerful episode of We Are Women, Unapologetically, I sit down with Chris Coladonato, a former high-achieving corporate leader turned speaker, coach, and creator of the therapeutic coloring book Color Me, Unplugged. Together, we unpack what burnout really looks like for high performers and why so many of us don’t even realize we’re in it until we’ve broken.

🎧...

When a title changes, whether through a layoff, divorce, caregiving shift, empty nest, or a chapter you didn’t choose—it can shake your identity more than you expect. For many high-achieving women, roles become anchors. They give structure, direction, and meaning. So when a title ends, it’s easy to feel lost, irrelevant, or unsure of who you are without it.

In this episode of We Are Women, Unapologetically, Executive Life Strategist...

There comes a moment when the pressure you’re carrying at work stops feeling like “part of the job” and starts feeling like something deeper. Something heavier. Something you can’t quite name.

In this episode of We Are Women, Unapologetically, I sit down with Dr. Sharalyn Payne for an unfiltered conversation about what it really feels like inside a toxic workplace. Not the polished HR version. Not the vague “bad culture” summary. Th...

Episode Summary

Sometimes you make the thoughtful choice.
The responsible choice.
The aligned choice.

And months later, you’re sitting in a life that doesn’t feel like your own, wondering how something so “right” could feel so wrong.

In this episode, Jessica shares a deeply personal chapter: a cross-country move that made perfect sense on paper and became one of the most challenging seasons of her life. It’s a story of identity, misalig...

If your burnout, brain fog, or body has been trying to tell you something, you’re being invited to listen.

In this episode, Executive Life Strategist Jessica Cumming sits down with Anne Trager, executive coach, 5-time entrepreneur, and national martial arts champion at 50. Together, they explore how the body’s “symptoms” are really signals—data points calling you back to balance, energy, and self-understanding.

Anne’s story moves fro...

If you’ve ever been the one everyone counts on, the one who “can make it work” no matter what, this episode will hit home.

In this solo episode, Jessica Cumming, Executive Life Strategist and host of We Are Women, Unapologetically, opens up about what happens when capacity becomes expectation and strength turns into silent exhaustion.

From balancing caregiving with a full-time career to confronting the invisible load that so many wom...