October 7, 2025 • 52 mins
Too many women are taught to downplay their worth — but Helene Lerner wants to change that. In this inspiring interview, the Emmy award-winning producer, public television host, and empowerment expert shares strategies from her book Smart Women Live Richly, No Matter What’s in Their Wallet: Six Keys to Unlock True Wealth and Prosperity. Helene reveals how women can embrace recognition, ask for help, and confidently build a life of abundance — from career growth and self-care to emotional well-being. It’s time to honor your worth and cultivate a true prosperity mindset. Tune into this episode of Women Road Warriors with Shelley Johnson and Kathy Tuccaro to hear more.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:01):
This is Women Road warriorswith Shelly Johnson and Kathy Tucaro.
From the corporate office tothe cab of a truck, they're here
to inspire and empower womenin all professions.
So gear down, sit back and enjoy.
(00:23):
Welcome.
We're an award winning showdedicated to empowering women in
every profession throughinspiring stories and expert insights.
No topics off limits.
On our show, we power women onthe road to success with expert and
celebrity interviews andinformation you need.
I'm Shelley.
And I'm Kathy.
(00:44):
Too many women don't trulyhonor their worth or know how to
seek a fulfilling life.
We're conditioned to serveothers and often forget ourselves.
Helene Lerner aims to helpwomen build a fulfilling life and
prosper.
She's the author of SmartWomen Live Richly no Matter what's
in Their Wallet.
Helene is a trailblazinginfluencer and empowerment expert
(01:07):
who's dedicated her career toinspiring individuals to live boldly
and authentically.
She's a prolific author, anEmmy award winning executive producer,
public television host,keynote speaker and workplace consultant.
She's appeared on major medialike Good Morning America, the Today
Show, CNN, and Fox News.
Her book teaches women how toadopt a prosperity mindset and navigate
(01:31):
everything from careeradvancement and self care to emotional
well being with smart,actionable strategies.
Helene's on our show to talkabout all of this and we're excited.
Welcome, Helene.
Thank you for being with us.
Thank you, Shelly and Kathyand thank you for all the good work
you're doing.
We need every ounce ofresourcefulness from strong women.
(01:53):
Oh, thank you.
Oh, thank you.
Yes.
We want to empower womenbecause, you know, there's power
in unity.
It takes a village sometimes.
And sometimes you have tocommunicate to that village and empower
it.
And you want to know something?
It takes a village all thetime, Shelley.
(02:14):
In these days, you know, oneof the things is we can't do it alone.
Honestly, I mean, and I thinkwomen sometimes have difficulty because
we are the helpers, we are thegivers to reach out and get help
for ourselves.
One of my favorite chapters inthe book is about receiving.
(02:38):
I think, you know, I wasasking myself, why is it so much
easier for women to give than receive?
I mean, we desire accolades,we desire advancement, we desire
awards.
And I realized, and I was verytransparent in the book that I won
(03:01):
an Emmy Award and there were300 people in the audience.
Everyone was clapping for me.
It was a team effort.
But I was on stage and I felt uncomfortable.
And when I got back to thetable and everyone was saying, great
job, great job, I felt Uncomfortable.
(03:21):
And I said to myself, why is that?
It's true.
I had changed professions, butI reached out for people.
I got guidance from mentors.
And here I was winning the topaward, and I sat there and it wasn't
comfortable.
And what I tell women all thetime, which is something I know now,
(03:46):
that when we step outside ofour comfort zone, it doesn't feel
comfortable.
But that doesn't have to stopus from taking that next step.
And what I also realized aboutgiving, that and receiving is that
when we're giving, we're inmore control because we know what
(04:10):
we're giving to someone, weknow the amount of it, et cetera.
But when we receive, it's like.
And especially something unexpected.
It throws us off balance.
So I wonder how you thinkabout that.
Cause I really do think that'svery interesting.
(04:30):
And frankly, I have learned toreceive from watching men.
Because a man will take a jobeven if he has two skills, and he
needs 10.
And a woman will feel that sheneeds all 10 skills to take that
(04:51):
next step.
So I watched my bosses when Iwas first starting out, you know,
take in a compliment, give acompliment, let someone know about
what they had done.
And I'll be very honest.
Shelly and Kathy.
I practiced in front of a mirror.
(05:12):
I practiced giving an elevatorpitch, in other words, what I had
accomplished.
And I set it into a mirrorover and over again.
And now it doesn't feel quiteas awkward to do that.
I think we're taught to be humble.
I think women have a tendencyto not accept compliments the way
(05:33):
they should.
It's like bragging, right?
Yes, we're taught that.
And I think maybe we're taughtthat more than men.
Because if you give acompliment to a man, he'll jump and
say, thank you.
Kathy, do you agree with that?
Oh, good Lord, do I ever agree.
But you know what?
Humble pie doesn't work in business.
(05:56):
No, that's what I think.
And it doesn't mean you'reonly out for yourself.
And I have another book that Ihad done on confidence, and one of
these C Suite leaders told methat when she takes in a compliment
or when she tells people ofwhat she's done, she'll remind them
(06:19):
that the team brought thingson deadline.
So she gives credit to theteam, but she said it wouldn't have
been done if I hadn't gottenit passed by top management.
So it's not that we're justtaking in what we shouldn't be taking
in.
It's that we're proud ofSomething we've done, we want to
(06:40):
let people know it.
And we will also give creditto other people.
And, you know, I do think thatwomen, we're conditioned to be modest.
And you're so right.
You can't be modest in business.
I mean, you don't have to be abraggart, but you have to stand out.
People aren't going to see you.
(07:01):
That's right.
No one's going to come around.
And I remember I was doingsome work on sponsorship in corporations.
You know, not a mentor, butsomeone who'll talk you up for promotions
and stuff like that.
And I remember the women Iinterviewed said that they got their
(07:23):
sponsors because someonenoticed them, came over to them as
someone of influence, did that.
And I don't think we shouldwait for that.
That's right.
I think we should identify thepeople who are the power players
and find ways to connect withthem and also show them how they
(07:46):
can benefit from connectingwith us.
For example, a sponsee in asponsor sponsee relationship has
something to give to the sponsor.
So, for example, a person at avery high level might not know what.
(08:06):
What's going on at the levelof a sponsee.
A sponsee can give them clearinformation about what's going on.
They can also get themarticles or things that they think
they should know that maybethey don't have time to do.
So whether it's a mentor and amentee or a sponsor and a sponsee,
(08:31):
I think it's a mutualcontract, a mutual relationship.
Because if I know, if peoplecome up to me and it's all get and
no give, I don't think I wantto get connected to them.
When I see it's somethingmutual and they bring something to
(08:54):
the table, I very much want tohelp in any way I can.
Do you relate to that?
Yes, absolutely.
Yep.
Yep.
I like people who are givers.
And if you've got somebodywho's always taking, it's like, wait
a minute, this is not working.
That's right.
(09:14):
I think another thing veryimportant for women, and it's not
just working women, it's.
It's women and, and men too,actually, that in relationships,
one of the hardest things todo is set boundaries with people.
Oh, is it ever?
Yep.
(09:35):
It's courageous because it's easy.
I talk about this in the bookto people, please, quote, unquote.
Because it's just.
You don't have to be concernedabout what the reaction is.
You don't want to step onanyone's toes.
But who walks away from aconversation when you're people pleasing
(09:56):
and you're really resentingbig time, what went on?
It's better to say to someonethis special gold two letter word
and oh, that's right.
It can be said graciously.
For example, if I'm, I have no bandwidth.
(10:19):
And Kathy and Shelley, thepeople that I meet, cross industries
right now, people are exhausted.
I mean, they're really exhausted.
We've come out of COVIDThere's a hybrid workplace in most
cases, and it's exhausting.
You can't expect two or threevacations and then just jump into
(10:43):
where you are or where you're going.
It's difficult.
So it's very important to setthose boundaries.
And it's okay to say, you knowwhat, I wish I could help you this
time, but I just don't havethe bandwidth to do it.
But maybe Polly can do it.
(11:06):
I know she had a little spaceand maybe that's a good person to
ask.
Call on me in about threemonths, I'll probably have a little
more space.
So that's a gracious way ofoffering an alternative and also
saying, I'm not rejecting youright now.
(11:27):
I'm just saying, no, call onme in three months.
Sure.
And it's hard to do that.
I mean, it still is.
It takes courage.
It does.
But we have to give ourselvessome grace and be graceful with other
people and let them know, youknow, hey, I need some space right
now.
I don't have the bandwidth.
And people really inherentlyunderstand that.
(11:49):
They just don't like the word.
No.
Nobody does.
I know the hardest part for mewas to learn how to be kind to my
own mind.
You know, where we're thehardest on ourselves and to flip
that switch in your thinkingand say, wait a minute, you know,
(12:10):
if you, if you're looking for,for anything, look to yourself to
be kind to, to who you are, towhat you've been through, through
what you survived, you know,your battles, your, your everything
and acknowledge that you knowthat's right.
And you know what?
I started, Kathy, you'reabsolutely right.
(12:31):
And in the book, I have lotsof practical exercises so people
can reframe how they'retalking to themselves and how they
talk to other people.
Stay tuned for more of womenroad warriors.
Coming up.
(12:55):
Industry movement.
Trucking Moves America Forwardis telling the story of the industry.
Our safety champions, thewomen of trucking, independent contractors,
the next generation oftruckers, and more.
Help us promote the best ofour industry.
Share your story and what youlove about Trucking.
Share images of a momentyou're proud of and join us on social
(13:15):
media.
Learn more at Trucking Moo'sAmerica May.
Welcome back to Women Roadwarriors with Shelly Johnson and
Kathy Tucaro.
If you're enjoying thisinformative episode of Women Road
(13:36):
Warriors, I wanted to mentionKathy and I explore all kinds of
topics that will power you onthe road to success.
We feature a lot of expertinterviews, plus we feature celebrities
and women who've been trailblazers.
Please check out ourpodcast@womenroadwarriors.com and
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We're also available whereveryou listen to podcasts on all the
(13:57):
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Check us out and bookmark our podcast.
Also, don't forget to followus on social media.
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Facebook and tell others about us.
We want to help as many womenas possible.
(14:17):
Let's be honest.
Too often we downplay ourworth, brush off compliments, and
think humble pie is the onlything on the menu.
But that doesn't work inbusiness or in life.
Our guest Helene Lerner saysit's time to honor yourself, stand
tall and take that welldeserved applause.
She's the powerhouse behindSmart Women Live Richly no Matter
(14:39):
what's in Their Wallet.
Helene is an Emmy Awardwinning producer, author, speaker
and all around empowerment trailblazer.
She's been featured everywherefrom Good Morning America to cnn
and today she's sharing thekeys to building prosperity, fulfillment
and confidence.
Helene, in our last segment,you said you have a section in your
book that helps readersreframe how they talk to themselves
(15:00):
and other people.
That's a super valuable tool.
So what happens with me?
And I don't have have this.
I'm called an expert, but I'mjust another person who slips and
slides.
But I'm catching myself more.
For example, when I stop and Isay, wait a second.
(15:22):
I call it mad mind chatter.
What am I telling myself right now?
And is it true?
Is it really true?
And most of the time it isn't.
But we can catch ourselveslike we're great mothers to younger
people, right?
Why can't we mother ourselves?
(15:44):
So I say to myself, wait asecond, you just said this, this
and that.
Is it true?
No, it isn't.
Okay, stop Helene, stop.
And then I go on to something productive.
Take an action.
The next ride.
Action.
I think we have a tendency tohave all of that going on in our
(16:06):
heads.
I'm not sure men do that.
I think that they cancompartmentalize better than women,
you know, and they don't havea guilt factor because we doubt ourselves,
we feel guilty, and men justkind of plow along, it seems like.
Well, I think guilt is such a useless.
If you even want to call it anemotion, guilt.
(16:28):
First of all, we're allexhausted these days, so we only
have a certain amount of energy.
Right.
And I love this description.
Think of sugar cubes in, let'ssay, the shape inside a woman's outline.
Okay.
And we have a certain amountof sugar cubes, which I'm calling
(16:49):
energy.
And if we start feeling anddwelling on worry and guilt and fear,
what happens to our sugar cubes?
Maybe we're left with one.
Am I correct?
Yeah.
So we have to watch.
And I'm using this word now,that negative vacuum cleaner that's
(17:13):
going to sift our energy.
And the best way, when I can'tdo it for myself, like I said, I
am not being a good mother to myself.
I see that madmind chatter,but I can't.
I'm stuck.
Then I call someone I trust, afriend, and I'm available to that
(17:34):
friend when they need it.
Right.
So it's not doing this alone,you know?
Yeah.
Reaching out for help.
And I have a huge following,and this is.
Was one of the most popular memes.
Reaching out for help is not asign of weakness.
It's a sign of strength.
(17:56):
That's very true.
Yes.
It is one of the hardestthings to do, though, sometimes lift
that phone.
It almost weighs 10,000pounds, you know.
So what gets you to do it,Kathy, when it feels like £10,000?
Well, coming from many yearsof addiction like alcoholism and
(18:19):
losing everything I've knownand I've had to take.
I took two years off life justto get treatment.
The shame and guilt kept mefrom lifting that phone.
However, since all thetransformation, now I can recognize
my triggers and I know what Ineed, what I don't need.
And it's so much easier tosay, hey, can you just, you know,
(18:40):
you want to come over for coffee?
Or I got this.
Or this.
It's not.
Not because.
Well, number one, I'm notcarrying guilt and shame, but number
two is that I have the toolsto help myself when I'm stuck.
That's beautiful.
Yeah, that's really beautiful.
And in the book, I have lotsof tools for people.
I really believe I. I wrote this.
(19:01):
It's my 15th book, but I. Wow.
Yeah.
But I. I'm working on my third.
And I thought I was doing good.
You did 15.
Yeah, but, but listen, it tookme the longest to write because I
do believe the world is in avery crazy place these days and many
people feel off balance.
And I wanted to give someonetools, practices that they could
(19:26):
do that if they really werelooking for a mindset to transform
themselves, they could.
So I have lots of practicesthat people can do.
I give you a lot of credit, Kathy.
You saw a problem and you tooktime out of your life to learn new
ways.
(19:46):
And I know that's not easy.
But if we're feeling exhaustedand we're overwhelmed and also as
women get to a certain age,I've been speaking with a lot of
women recently who are goingthrough menopause, perimenopause,
given what's going on in the world.
Plus that we're not going tobe able to make wise choices.
(20:12):
So it's time to stop, realizewe can't do it all, and reach out
for help.
Whatever form of help thatlooks like.
For some people it could be addiction.
For some people it could be adiet club.
For some people it could bejust calling a friend.
(20:32):
Whatever it is, don't do it alone.
And as I was saying before westarted this, Shelly, there's an
epidemic of loneliness nowcoming out of COVID People are hungry
to connect.
Don't listen to that mad mindchatter that tells you you don't
deserve it.
(20:53):
No one's going to listen to you.
Whatever your brand is,whatever it is, listen to your heart.
Your heart tells you you need help.
Your heart tells you that youwant more for your life.
Your heart tells you, whycan't I take that next step?
Why not me?
(21:16):
Stay tuned for more of womenroad warriors coming.
Industry movement TruckingMoves America Forward is telling
the story of the industry.
Our safety champions, thewomen of trucking, independent contractors,
the next generation oftruckers and more.
(21:36):
Help us promote the best ofour industry.
Share your story and what youlove about trucking.
Share images of a momentyou're proud of and join us on social
media.
Learn more at Trucking Moo'sAmerica May.
Welcome back to Women Roadwarriors with Shelly Johnson and
(21:59):
Kathy Tucaro.
Here's something every womanneeds to hear.
You don't have to settle orplay small.
Too many of us are conditionedto put ourselves last.
But Helene Lerner is proofthat that when women honor their
worth, incredible things happen.
She's an Emmy award winningexecutive producer, a public television
(22:22):
host and a sought afterworkplace consultant.
She's also the author of SmartWomen live richly no matter what's
in their wallet.
Helene has been featured onthe Today show, cnn, and Fox News.
And she's dedicated her careerto helping women embrace a prosperity
mindset, rise at work, andthrive in life.
If you've ever hesitated totake credit for your hard work, Helene's
(22:44):
here to remind you it's timeto stand up, shine, and own it.
Helene, your book is awonderful tutorial to success.
A gps, really, for women,smart women living richly no matter
what's in their wallet.
You have a step by step approach.
I mean, your chapter, thefirst chapter, shifting from Poverty
to Prosperity, A Road Less Traveled.
(23:06):
The theme of the chapter isletting go of a poverty mindset.
And it really does seem likewhen we deny ourselves, we kind of
do have that, don't we?
When we deny ourselves, yes.
And the thing that's happeningoutside ourselves.
In the past, we might havebeen able to get some kind of confirmation
(23:30):
from outside ourselves.
These days, I don't know wherewe can get the confirmation outside
ourselves.
The media is nutso.
The government has so many changes.
AI is constantly changing.
And I must say, I use AI andI'm so grateful for it.
(23:51):
But a lot of change is happening.
Yes.
So the one place that we canget that affirmation that we're looking
for is within ourselves.
Someone said to me the otherday, Shelly Zealous, I told her,
I mentioned it on anotherbroadcast, but I really liked it.
(24:14):
And she's head of the FemaleQuotient, and she said, instead of
empowerment, I call myself anempowerment expert.
What about empowerment,meaning going within?
And I think she's absolutely right.
It's about going within andreconnecting with your core values.
(24:38):
You know, by doing the work,by doing the exercises, by reaching
out for help, by exercisingmuscles I never had.
Kathy, I relate because Inever, you know, I was taught children
should be seen but not heard.
And you don't tell dirtylaundry to the neighbors.
(24:59):
And I, God bless.
I love my parents and they'reno longer here, but I heard this
growing up.
So it wasn't easy for me tostart being authentic, leveling with
people, letting them know howI feel, reaching out for help.
But once you start doing thatand you start helping other people,
(25:23):
what happens is that innermuscle grows.
Like we go to the gym, right?
And we grow, we tone down andwe do whatever the body thing is.
It's the same inwardly, wegrow that inner muscle.
And now I must say thatintuition is much more available
(25:46):
to me than it has been in years.
No, I also Want to say Imeditate, I pray, I take care.
I swim every morning a little bit.
So I'm taking care of myself.
If I'm going crazy, I call a friend.
I'm doing the things thatwon't keep me stuck.
(26:09):
So that vacuum cleaner istaking all my energy.
Now I have more, moreavailable to me.
That inner knowing, that intuition.
Do you relate to that, Shelleyand Kathy?
Oh, yeah.
Good God, yes.
Absolutely, yes.
And you have all of thesenuggets in your book.
(26:30):
You cover so many things inall of your chapters.
I know.
How did I do that, Shelley?
I don't know.
It came out.
All of it.
It's amazing.
And you really give people aroute to follow and get them thinking
differently.
I wanted to have you maybehighlight some of the chapters because
there's so much here, and Iwant people to kind of get a taste
(26:53):
of everything, you know.
One of my chapters, that's myfavorite, one of my favorites, so
the Receiving is definitelyone of them that I think is really
important for women because ifwe're exhausted and we're giving
all the time, we must take inas well and receive to keep that
(27:16):
flow going.
But another chapter that Ilove, and I hated it when I was younger,
I absolutely hated it.
The chapter is calledDiscipline Is My Friend.
I hated discipline in my 20s.
Oh, my.
(27:36):
It was like authority figures,you know, let me do anything.
If someone asked me to dosomething, I would do it if I was
working.
But I didn't like, you know,these authorities coming and telling
me what to do.
Yeah, I agree.
I. Oh, gosh.
As a kid, I hated it.
(27:57):
And you're right.
Oh, yeah.
And now, now what keeps megoing, which has helped me be as
successful as I am, is that onthose days, and we all have them,
I call them hanging on days.
On those hanging on days whereI don't want to get up, I don't want
to get out of bed.
And believe me, people aroundthe world are feeling this a lot
(28:22):
these days.
Having a routine, having thatdiscipline keeps me going.
So I know and I, I, I share alittle bit about this in the book,
but it's whatever works for you.
So in the morning, I get upand I do some meditation.
(28:45):
I, I don't do a lot of swimming.
I'm very lucky.
I live in New York City andthere's a health club near me, so
I do a little swimming, whichgets my body going.
I have an action partner Ispeak to in the morning briefly.
We share what we're going todo in terms of work actions in the
(29:07):
day.
And that keeps me going onthose days where I don't want to
get up.
Isn't that true for you?
Yeah.
You know what I have on mywall, I created in my office a wall
of love.
Because what it is, isletters, pictures, texts, you know,
(29:30):
notes.
I have gifts from peoplearound the world.
I have all the people writenotes on napkins.
And I made a big.
My entire wall.
And because when on the daysthat I don't feel like I want to
get out of bed or I lose mymotivation, I lose my focus, what
do I do next?
And I look at that wall, andthat is my reason.
(29:51):
That is my why.
You know, when they say, findyour why?
That is my why.
That is beautiful, Kathy.
That.
See, one of the things I'verealized, I've always been a very
driven person.
So I liked having two Emmysand seven Gracie Allen Awards, Most
Valuable Programmer for my distributor.
(30:12):
I loved the awards.
That was great.
But what I realized is I wasrunning so quickly, so, so fast,
not taking the time to letthings come in, to receive, right?
That in the book I talk aboutthe little things in life are really
(30:33):
the big things.
And when you talk, Kathy,about your wall, I saw all those
little moments with peoplethat you probably really connected
with.
That's the gold.
And.
And we forget that we thinkthe gold is only the gold in the
bank, and that's really the gold.
(30:53):
So the little things in lifeare really big things.
They really are.
And we tend to ignore them,and we shouldn't, because that's
really what makes life worth living.
I think too often people are so.
They're not in the moment anymore.
They're just glued to thisdevice that's telling them how to
feel or motivating them orgetting them to buy something, and
(31:17):
they've forgotten the humanityand smelling the flowers, smelling
the roses.
And I think your book bringspeople back to a lot of that.
You've got, what, 18 chaptersin this book?
It just kept pouring out of me.
But as I said, I wanted togive people a lot of practical information.
Some of the chapters, I'll putmy glasses on, thinking bigger, as
(31:42):
you said, letting go of apoverty mindset.
And I have things, you know,for your own reflection and nuggets
from your heart.
Because I really think ourpower is in our heart, not our head,
not the mad mind chatter.
And when you communicate withpeople, if they feel they're connecting
(32:05):
with you.
I have a chapter in the book,another one that I love that I really
haven't heard too many peopletalk about.
So I decided to is makingbusiness friends.
And what I mean by that isduring COVID one of the better things
that came from COVID is thatwe saw people on zoom on one of the
(32:30):
virtual things.
We saw them with their kidspulling at them.
We saw them with dogs, we sawtheir humanity.
As I said, I think we're allgoing through a mental health crisis.
I think there's a lot of posttraumatic stress that hasn't been
attended to.
You know, after going throughfive years, we were told many of
(32:53):
us we might die.
And now we're back.
And I think there's a lotgoing on.
And what I think is importantis that people need to know you care.
In a business deal, it's notenough just to bring, what can I
(33:14):
say, to bring some productthat works well for them.
I feel, I mean, it's great todo that and that's the first step.
But when I deal with people, Ireally want to know about them.
Unless they set up a boundaryand it's give me the product.
That's it.
In the book, I talk about in avery simple way, people who are like
(33:39):
storytellers, like me.
I like to tell stories.
I think, Kathy, you're likethat as well.
You noticed.
But I've also noticed thatpeople in business, there are people
that short to the point, youknow, so I respect that and I speak
their language.
But I think people need toknow in business and corporations
(34:04):
that you really care about them.
I mean, I'm not talking aboutpeople that are sloughing off a job
or something like that, butthat it's just not about 9 to 5 and
how are they progressing?
What are they going to do?
I was just, I did some eventsat Walmart and I, I love the company
(34:26):
now what they're doing,they're really investing in their
people and their founder.
They had a hologram in themuseum and I took a picture with
their founder shaking his hand.
And he truly believed that theassociates should be benefiting,
(34:49):
not just the people, theowners of the company.
And I do see with some, someof their C suite leaders, they're
really terrific.
And I think all of us need toknow that people care.
I mean, if you go in and makea business call and you hear someone
(35:09):
sniffling or having a cold, amI going to start selling them something?
I'm going to say, how are you feeling?
You don't sound too good.
Yeah.
And you know, unless theyreally put up a wall and say, I have
five minutes, what do you wantto do?
I'll, I'll spend some time andin fact, I'll even if, if that's
(35:33):
all we do is connect that day,I'll set up another time where I
can go and talk to them aboutwhat I wanted to talk to in terms
of product or whatever it is.
So making business friends, itdoesn't mean that you're going to
share all your dirty laundry,but it means that you're going beyond
(35:54):
the call of duty.
And I think people really know that.
They repeat they want to workwith you.
What's your experience, ladies?
Getting to know people, it'sreally important and it's rare, I
think now that you actuallyhave people who will take the time
to do that.
And that's what's lacking.
(36:15):
I mean, I think that that'sthe way things were done years ago.
I'd like to believe that maybethat's just a utopian idea in my
mind.
But I think that we've lostthe ability to have empathy.
I think that's true.
Business wants the bottom line.
I mean, that's why business is business.
(36:37):
But in the last several years,going through the changes we've gone
through, empathy, compassionhas been at a premium.
So no matter what governmentregulations or whatever else, there
are these amazing leaders.
They're groups like CatalystInc. And groups that really believe
(37:01):
in the advancement of women.
And they bring together CEOsfrom Fortune 500 companies on their
boards.
Many of these people have theright idea.
So yes, they need to sell andthey need to grow profit and they
have shareholders.
(37:23):
But there are a lot of, I seemore perhaps of people who are bending
and wanting to make a difference.
Stay tuned for more of womenRoadblocks Warriors.
Coming up.
(37:44):
Industry movement TruckingMoves America Forward is telling
the story of the industry.
Our safety champions, thewomen of trucking, independent contractors,
the next generation oftruckers and more help us promote
the best of our industry.
Share your story and what youlove about trucking.
Share images of a momentyou're proud of and join us on social
(38:05):
media.
Learn more@truckingmovesamerica.com.
Welcome back to Women Roadwarriors with Shelly Johnson and
Kathy Tucaro.
Let's talk about owning yourown power.
(38:26):
Too many women downplay theirworth, but Helene Lerner shows us
what happens when you flipthat script.
She's an Emmy award winningexecutive producer, a public TV host
and a leading consultant who'sbeen spotlighted on the Today Show,
CNN and Fox News.
Her book Smart Women Living Richly.
No matter what's in Theirwallet gives women the tools to thrive
(38:46):
with confidence and aprosperity mindset.
Helene's mission is simple but powerful.
Help women rise, prosper, andlive authentically.
Helene, you cover so manydifferent facets you of where people
can grow not only in theirpersonal but their business life.
Do you have some specifichighlights that maybe you could kind
(39:08):
of summarize?
The book.
I know it's kind of hard to dobecause you've got so many goodies
here.
I'm kind of scanning throughthe table of contents.
It's like there's so much wecan talk about.
I like one of the things.
Well, there are six keys.
So the book is smart womenlive richly no matter what's in your
wallet.
(39:28):
Six keys to unlock true wealthand prosperity.
So it's not only a book aboutmaking money.
It's true when you have aprosperity mindset, when you're appreciating
the day, when you're gratefulfor what you have, you're more attractive
and you attract more in your life.
(39:51):
But it's about a lot ofdifferent things.
So, for example, the six keysare giving up.
We gotta let go of the stuffthat ain't working, because if we
keep doing the same thing overand over again, we're gonna get the
same results.
Most of us are not happy with that.
(40:13):
And the second key is aboutgetting more.
You know, I loved.
I don't know if you know ofLouise Hay, but I was very fortunate.
She was the founder of HayHouse Publishing, and I knew Louise.
And when I started out manymoons ago, my hair is red, but underneath
(40:35):
is a lot of gray.
When I started out many moonsago, there was something that Louise
Hayes said that has alwaysstayed with me, and I didn't bring
that part in the book.
I had my own way of saying it,but she said, what do you go to the
ocean with?
Let's say the ocean is love, right?
(40:57):
And you have this image of an ocean.
Do you go with a thimble or doyou go with a soup doreen?
And the bottom line is thereis enough for everyone.
So if you're doing amazinglywell, you're not taking away from
(41:18):
anyone else.
There's an abundant universe,and it's starting to think bigger
about what you can achieve,what you want, what your visions
are.
And the third key is aboutgaining momentum once you start letting
go of some of this stuffyou've been holding on to.
(41:43):
There is a space.
I have a video on YouTubeabout decluttering.
And I was so scared.
I never considered myself a clutterer.
But then I took a look at mycloset, and there were a hundred
VHS tapes.
(42:03):
And what I realized is I waskeeping that because I was afraid
to let go.
If I let go of that, wherewould I be?
My shows, my VHS tape?
And you know what I found out?
That when you let go of thatclutter, whether it's physical clutter
or mind clutter, you have yourself.
(42:25):
So all that creativity that Ithought was just in that VHS tape,
it's in me.
So it's scary to let go.
But as you step out of yourcomfort zone, it does not feel comfortable.
And, Shelley, I hate the word fearlessness.
I have no idea what it meanswhen you step out of your comfort
(42:50):
zone, when you do somethingdifferent, when you start to think
bigger about yourself, it'snot going to feel comfortable, except
with support.
You don't have to stop.
And I'll tell you the onestory that I have which helped me
define my definition of confidence.
(43:11):
I wrote two books on confidence.
I was interviewing C Suite, actually.
She was the CEO of a $12billion insurance company at the
time, and she was the chiefmarketing officer in 2008, when everything
tanked.
And she was at a C Suite meeting.
(43:33):
And she said to me, helene, Itold them, we're going to focus on
growth, not recession.
And she said to me, you shouldhave seen my knees.
They were shaking under the table.
So my definition of confidenceis moving forward when you think
(43:56):
you can make a difference evenwith shaky knees.
So that definition of lookingat someone else who looks confident,
no one is as confident as wethink they are.
So we might as well take astep outside our comfort zone.
I agree.
(44:16):
Yes, I totally agree.
I operate the largestequipment in the world.
And two years ago, at the age.
Of 54, I had to learn how.
To operate the biggest dozerin the world, which is the size of
a double car garage.
And it takes a year to trainon these things, and at the very
end, they keep the worst for last.
So imagine you're on the.
On the cliff of a GrandCanyon, and there's a shovel beneath
(44:42):
you, and his bucket is there.
My job is to push the dirt tothe shovel so you can't see anything
because these blades are sobig and it's pitch black as it's
night shift.
And the only talk aboutstepping outside your comfort zone
is as you're pushing to theedge of the cliff, the whole dozer
will tip over and kill youback up.
But what that job has done,the more you do it, the more a little
(45:05):
bit Comfortable, you get tothe edge.
But what that job has done isgiven me confidence.
It's given me backbone.
It's given me leadership.
It's.
It's.
It's given me the.
The ability to face problemswith a stat, a stronger stance, if
you know what I mean.
So it's been such a giftbecause to.
(45:27):
If something comes my way now,it's like, ha, that's nothing.
You should see what I wasdoing last week.
Right, Kathy?
That's terrific.
That's really.
Because the reverse of that iswhen you know what to say, you're
in a meeting in a corporation,everyone is talking about how to
handle something.
None of it's going to work.
(45:48):
You know the answer, butyou're afraid to speak up because
you think you're going to beshot down.
So you go home that night andyou wonder why the next day you don't
want to go into work.
So that is the total oppositeof stepping out.
And what's the worst that can happen?
You can be shot down.
(46:11):
So what?
Maybe it's not the right jobfor you.
Maybe you can speak to someoneabout how they treated you.
But when you know the answeror you know you're able to do it,
even if you're afraid and youdon't do it, it's a killer.
It kills our spirit.
(46:31):
So I love what you said, Kathy.
I love that.
So, Helene, have we coveredall the keys that you cover?
Actually, I'll give you just afew other keys.
I also respect the people whogive back because I know I've been
given so much.
And I think what reallydistinguishes me from a lot of other
(46:54):
people who don't go the extramile is that I come from a spirit
of service, because I can get.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no,no, no, no.
And I want to put the sheetsover my head and.
And then I push from service,not ego from service.
(47:18):
And then I get the yes.
So when I come from reallyknowing that I have something that
I can offer that might helpsomeone, then I move through it rather
than stop with my fear.
So I respect people who give back.
And the fifth key is going theextra mile.
(47:40):
And the sixth key, which Ichallenge all your listeners, is
creating a greater life for yourself.
Isn't that what we hunger for, really?
You know, I think the biggest shame.
Kathy, you brought up shame atthe beginning.
(48:01):
The biggest shame.
I believe every one of us is a leader.
I don't care where you are inthe pecking order.
I think all of us are leaders.
But we have to pick our issues.
So we pick an issue and wehave something to contribute.
And the biggest shame is whenwe don't do it.
(48:21):
That's when we get upset,angry at ourselves, angry at other
people.
It's like a faucet of waterthat gets rusted.
The water is our talents andour gifts.
And when the faucet getsrusted because the water isn't being
used, that's the shame.
(48:43):
That's the shame.
It's not in the nose, becauseyou're bound to get a nose.
In business, when you offeryour talents, you'll get the job.
You may not get that job.
You may not.
You have to develop.
I've never developed a thickskin, but I get a lot of no's, and
that's just the nature of the business.
(49:03):
But I keep going from a spiritof service and knowing I have talents
and gifts that are needed now.
This world, and I'll end with this.
This world is in a tragicplace right now.
It needs every bit of yourlistener's resourcefulness.
(49:26):
Each of us has been givenspecial talents and gifts, and we'll
develop them throughout our lives.
It's not okay, folks, to sitback and not say anything anymore.
It's not okay not to use yourtalents and gifts.
And it's not just for you.
It's for everyone you could touch.
(49:48):
Amen to that.
I totally agree.
Helene said, I love your philosophies.
I love all of your knowledgeand your insight.
Where do people find your book?
And how do they connect with you?
Okay, you can go on Amazon now.
The book is coming out in October.
I'm going to say the title again.
Smart women live richly, nomatter what's in their wallet.
(50:12):
I'm Helene Lerner, and I'm theWomen Working Brand.
If you go to womenworking.com,you'll see all our social media links,
and we welcome you.
And what do I want to leaveyou with?
Oh, I love this.
I think it could have beenNorman Vincent Peale that said this.
(50:34):
I am not 100% sure, but Iloved it.
And when I had not built thecareer that I've built, I was sitting
and listening to that amazingspeaker, and he said, don't quit
before the miracle.
Mm.
I love it.
Yeah.
Yep.
(50:55):
Thank you so much for youramazing insight, Helene.
You're a true inspiration.
Well, thank you for being you,and thank you for doing all your
good work.
And I'm so happy, Shelly, wewere able to do this.
Thank you so much, Helene.
Glad we were able to coordinate.
It's been a great interview.
We hope you've enjoyed thislatest episode.
And if you want to hear moreepisodes of Women Road warriors or
(51:18):
or learn more about our show,be sure to check out womenroadwarriors.com
and don't forget to subscribeto our podcast.
Women Road warriors is on allthe major podcast channels like Apple,
Spotify, Amazon, Audible,YouTube and others.
Check us out and please followus wherever you listen to podcasts.
Thanks for listening.
(51:41):
You've been listening to WomenRoad warriors with Shelley Johnson
and Kathy Takaro.
If you want to be a guest onthe show or have a topic or feedback,
email us at sjohnsonomenroadwarriors.
Com.
This is Women Road warriorswith Shelly Johnson and Kathy Tucaro.
From the corporate office tothe cab of a truck, they're here
to inspire and empower womenin all professions.
So gear down, sit back and enjoy.
(00:23):
Welcome.
We're an award winning showdedicated to empowering women in
every profession throughinspiring stories and expert insights.
No topics off limits.
On our show, we power women onthe road to success with expert and
celebrity interviews andinformation you need.
I'm Shelley.
And I'm Kathy.
(00:44):
Too many women don't trulyhonor their worth or know how to
seek a fulfilling life.
We're conditioned to serveothers and often forget ourselves.
Helene Lerner aims to helpwomen build a fulfilling life and
prosper.
She's the author of SmartWomen Live Richly no Matter what's
in Their Wallet.
Helene is a trailblazinginfluencer and empowerment expert
(01:07):
who's dedicated her career toinspiring individuals to live boldly
and authentically.
She's a prolific author, anEmmy award winning executive producer,
public television host,keynote speaker and workplace consultant.
She's appeared on major medialike Good Morning America, the Today
Show, CNN, and Fox News.
Her book teaches women how toadopt a prosperity mindset and navigate
(01:31):
everything from careeradvancement and self care to emotional
well being with smart,actionable strategies.
Helene's on our show to talkabout all of this and we're excited.
Welcome, Helene.
Thank you for being with us.
Thank you, Shelly and Kathyand thank you for all the good work
you're doing.
We need every ounce ofresourcefulness from strong women.
(01:53):
Oh, thank you.
Oh, thank you.
Yes.
We want to empower womenbecause, you know, there's power
in unity.
It takes a village sometimes.
And sometimes you have tocommunicate to that village and empower
it.
And you want to know something?
It takes a village all thetime, Shelley.
(02:14):
In these days, you know, oneof the things is we can't do it alone.
Honestly, I mean, and I thinkwomen sometimes have difficulty because
we are the helpers, we are thegivers to reach out and get help
for ourselves.
One of my favorite chapters inthe book is about receiving.
(02:38):
I think, you know, I wasasking myself, why is it so much
easier for women to give than receive?
I mean, we desire accolades,we desire advancement, we desire
awards.
And I realized, and I was verytransparent in the book that I won
(03:01):
an Emmy Award and there were300 people in the audience.
Everyone was clapping for me.
It was a team effort.
But I was on stage and I felt uncomfortable.
And when I got back to thetable and everyone was saying, great
job, great job, I felt Uncomfortable.
(03:21):
And I said to myself, why is that?
It's true.
I had changed professions, butI reached out for people.
I got guidance from mentors.
And here I was winning the topaward, and I sat there and it wasn't
comfortable.
And what I tell women all thetime, which is something I know now,
(03:46):
that when we step outside ofour comfort zone, it doesn't feel
comfortable.
But that doesn't have to stopus from taking that next step.
And what I also realized aboutgiving, that and receiving is that
when we're giving, we're inmore control because we know what
(04:10):
we're giving to someone, weknow the amount of it, et cetera.
But when we receive, it's like.
And especially something unexpected.
It throws us off balance.
So I wonder how you thinkabout that.
Cause I really do think that'svery interesting.
(04:30):
And frankly, I have learned toreceive from watching men.
Because a man will take a jobeven if he has two skills, and he
needs 10.
And a woman will feel that sheneeds all 10 skills to take that
(04:51):
next step.
So I watched my bosses when Iwas first starting out, you know,
take in a compliment, give acompliment, let someone know about
what they had done.
And I'll be very honest.
Shelly and Kathy.
I practiced in front of a mirror.
(05:12):
I practiced giving an elevatorpitch, in other words, what I had
accomplished.
And I set it into a mirrorover and over again.
And now it doesn't feel quiteas awkward to do that.
I think we're taught to be humble.
I think women have a tendencyto not accept compliments the way
(05:33):
they should.
It's like bragging, right?
Yes, we're taught that.
And I think maybe we're taughtthat more than men.
Because if you give acompliment to a man, he'll jump and
say, thank you.
Kathy, do you agree with that?
Oh, good Lord, do I ever agree.
But you know what?
Humble pie doesn't work in business.
(05:56):
No, that's what I think.
And it doesn't mean you'reonly out for yourself.
And I have another book that Ihad done on confidence, and one of
these C Suite leaders told methat when she takes in a compliment
or when she tells people ofwhat she's done, she'll remind them
(06:19):
that the team brought thingson deadline.
So she gives credit to theteam, but she said it wouldn't have
been done if I hadn't gottenit passed by top management.
So it's not that we're justtaking in what we shouldn't be taking
in.
It's that we're proud ofSomething we've done, we want to
(06:40):
let people know it.
And we will also give creditto other people.
And, you know, I do think thatwomen, we're conditioned to be modest.
And you're so right.
You can't be modest in business.
I mean, you don't have to be abraggart, but you have to stand out.
People aren't going to see you.
(07:01):
That's right.
No one's going to come around.
And I remember I was doingsome work on sponsorship in corporations.
You know, not a mentor, butsomeone who'll talk you up for promotions
and stuff like that.
And I remember the women Iinterviewed said that they got their
(07:23):
sponsors because someonenoticed them, came over to them as
someone of influence, did that.
And I don't think we shouldwait for that.
That's right.
I think we should identify thepeople who are the power players
and find ways to connect withthem and also show them how they
(07:46):
can benefit from connectingwith us.
For example, a sponsee in asponsor sponsee relationship has
something to give to the sponsor.
So, for example, a person at avery high level might not know what.
(08:06):
What's going on at the levelof a sponsee.
A sponsee can give them clearinformation about what's going on.
They can also get themarticles or things that they think
they should know that maybethey don't have time to do.
So whether it's a mentor and amentee or a sponsor and a sponsee,
(08:31):
I think it's a mutualcontract, a mutual relationship.
Because if I know, if peoplecome up to me and it's all get and
no give, I don't think I wantto get connected to them.
When I see it's somethingmutual and they bring something to
(08:54):
the table, I very much want tohelp in any way I can.
Do you relate to that?
Yes, absolutely.
Yep.
Yep.
I like people who are givers.
And if you've got somebodywho's always taking, it's like, wait
a minute, this is not working.
That's right.
(09:14):
I think another thing veryimportant for women, and it's not
just working women, it's.
It's women and, and men too,actually, that in relationships,
one of the hardest things todo is set boundaries with people.
Oh, is it ever?
Yep.
(09:35):
It's courageous because it's easy.
I talk about this in the bookto people, please, quote, unquote.
Because it's just.
You don't have to be concernedabout what the reaction is.
You don't want to step onanyone's toes.
But who walks away from aconversation when you're people pleasing
(09:56):
and you're really resentingbig time, what went on?
It's better to say to someonethis special gold two letter word
and oh, that's right.
It can be said graciously.
For example, if I'm, I have no bandwidth.
(10:19):
And Kathy and Shelley, thepeople that I meet, cross industries
right now, people are exhausted.
I mean, they're really exhausted.
We've come out of COVIDThere's a hybrid workplace in most
cases, and it's exhausting.
You can't expect two or threevacations and then just jump into
(10:43):
where you are or where you're going.
It's difficult.
So it's very important to setthose boundaries.
And it's okay to say, you knowwhat, I wish I could help you this
time, but I just don't havethe bandwidth to do it.
But maybe Polly can do it.
(11:06):
I know she had a little spaceand maybe that's a good person to
ask.
Call on me in about threemonths, I'll probably have a little
more space.
So that's a gracious way ofoffering an alternative and also
saying, I'm not rejecting youright now.
(11:27):
I'm just saying, no, call onme in three months.
Sure.
And it's hard to do that.
I mean, it still is.
It takes courage.
It does.
But we have to give ourselvessome grace and be graceful with other
people and let them know, youknow, hey, I need some space right
now.
I don't have the bandwidth.
And people really inherentlyunderstand that.
(11:49):
They just don't like the word.
No.
Nobody does.
I know the hardest part for mewas to learn how to be kind to my
own mind.
You know, where we're thehardest on ourselves and to flip
that switch in your thinkingand say, wait a minute, you know,
(12:10):
if you, if you're looking for,for anything, look to yourself to
be kind to, to who you are, towhat you've been through, through
what you survived, you know,your battles, your, your everything
and acknowledge that you knowthat's right.
And you know what?
I started, Kathy, you'reabsolutely right.
(12:31):
And in the book, I have lotsof practical exercises so people
can reframe how they'retalking to themselves and how they
talk to other people.
Stay tuned for more of womenroad warriors.
Coming up.
(12:55):
Industry movement.
Trucking Moves America Forwardis telling the story of the industry.
Our safety champions, thewomen of trucking, independent contractors,
the next generation oftruckers, and more.
Help us promote the best ofour industry.
Share your story and what youlove about Trucking.
Share images of a momentyou're proud of and join us on social
(13:15):
media.
Learn more at Trucking Moo'sAmerica May.
Welcome back to Women Roadwarriors with Shelly Johnson and
Kathy Tucaro.
If you're enjoying thisinformative episode of Women Road
(13:36):
Warriors, I wanted to mentionKathy and I explore all kinds of
topics that will power you onthe road to success.
We feature a lot of expertinterviews, plus we feature celebrities
and women who've been trailblazers.
Please check out ourpodcast@womenroadwarriors.com and
click on our Episodes page.
We're also available whereveryou listen to podcasts on all the
(13:57):
major podcast channels likeSpotify, Apple, YouTube, Amazon,
Music, Audible, you name it.
Check us out and bookmark our podcast.
Also, don't forget to followus on social media.
We're on Twitter, Facebook,Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube
and other sites.
Facebook and tell others about us.
We want to help as many womenas possible.
(14:17):
Let's be honest.
Too often we downplay ourworth, brush off compliments, and
think humble pie is the onlything on the menu.
But that doesn't work inbusiness or in life.
Our guest Helene Lerner saysit's time to honor yourself, stand
tall and take that welldeserved applause.
She's the powerhouse behindSmart Women Live Richly no Matter
(14:39):
what's in Their Wallet.
Helene is an Emmy Awardwinning producer, author, speaker
and all around empowerment trailblazer.
She's been featured everywherefrom Good Morning America to cnn
and today she's sharing thekeys to building prosperity, fulfillment
and confidence.
Helene, in our last segment,you said you have a section in your
book that helps readersreframe how they talk to themselves
(15:00):
and other people.
That's a super valuable tool.
So what happens with me?
And I don't have have this.
I'm called an expert, but I'mjust another person who slips and
slides.
But I'm catching myself more.
For example, when I stop and Isay, wait a second.
(15:22):
I call it mad mind chatter.
What am I telling myself right now?
And is it true?
Is it really true?
And most of the time it isn't.
But we can catch ourselveslike we're great mothers to younger
people, right?
Why can't we mother ourselves?
(15:44):
So I say to myself, wait asecond, you just said this, this
and that.
Is it true?
No, it isn't.
Okay, stop Helene, stop.
And then I go on to something productive.
Take an action.
The next ride.
Action.
I think we have a tendency tohave all of that going on in our
(16:06):
heads.
I'm not sure men do that.
I think that they cancompartmentalize better than women,
you know, and they don't havea guilt factor because we doubt ourselves,
we feel guilty, and men justkind of plow along, it seems like.
Well, I think guilt is such a useless.
If you even want to call it anemotion, guilt.
(16:28):
First of all, we're allexhausted these days, so we only
have a certain amount of energy.
Right.
And I love this description.
Think of sugar cubes in, let'ssay, the shape inside a woman's outline.
Okay.
And we have a certain amountof sugar cubes, which I'm calling
(16:49):
energy.
And if we start feeling anddwelling on worry and guilt and fear,
what happens to our sugar cubes?
Maybe we're left with one.
Am I correct?
Yeah.
So we have to watch.
And I'm using this word now,that negative vacuum cleaner that's
(17:13):
going to sift our energy.
And the best way, when I can'tdo it for myself, like I said, I
am not being a good mother to myself.
I see that madmind chatter,but I can't.
I'm stuck.
Then I call someone I trust, afriend, and I'm available to that
(17:34):
friend when they need it.
Right.
So it's not doing this alone,you know?
Yeah.
Reaching out for help.
And I have a huge following,and this is.
Was one of the most popular memes.
Reaching out for help is not asign of weakness.
It's a sign of strength.
(17:56):
That's very true.
Yes.
It is one of the hardestthings to do, though, sometimes lift
that phone.
It almost weighs 10,000pounds, you know.
So what gets you to do it,Kathy, when it feels like £10,000?
Well, coming from many yearsof addiction like alcoholism and
(18:19):
losing everything I've knownand I've had to take.
I took two years off life justto get treatment.
The shame and guilt kept mefrom lifting that phone.
However, since all thetransformation, now I can recognize
my triggers and I know what Ineed, what I don't need.
And it's so much easier tosay, hey, can you just, you know,
(18:40):
you want to come over for coffee?
Or I got this.
Or this.
It's not.
Not because.
Well, number one, I'm notcarrying guilt and shame, but number
two is that I have the toolsto help myself when I'm stuck.
That's beautiful.
Yeah, that's really beautiful.
And in the book, I have lotsof tools for people.
I really believe I. I wrote this.
(19:01):
It's my 15th book, but I. Wow.
Yeah.
But I. I'm working on my third.
And I thought I was doing good.
You did 15.
Yeah, but, but listen, it tookme the longest to write because I
do believe the world is in avery crazy place these days and many
people feel off balance.
And I wanted to give someonetools, practices that they could
(19:26):
do that if they really werelooking for a mindset to transform
themselves, they could.
So I have lots of practicesthat people can do.
I give you a lot of credit, Kathy.
You saw a problem and you tooktime out of your life to learn new
ways.
(19:46):
And I know that's not easy.
But if we're feeling exhaustedand we're overwhelmed and also as
women get to a certain age,I've been speaking with a lot of
women recently who are goingthrough menopause, perimenopause,
given what's going on in the world.
Plus that we're not going tobe able to make wise choices.
(20:12):
So it's time to stop, realizewe can't do it all, and reach out
for help.
Whatever form of help thatlooks like.
For some people it could be addiction.
For some people it could be adiet club.
For some people it could bejust calling a friend.
(20:32):
Whatever it is, don't do it alone.
And as I was saying before westarted this, Shelly, there's an
epidemic of loneliness nowcoming out of COVID People are hungry
to connect.
Don't listen to that mad mindchatter that tells you you don't
deserve it.
(20:53):
No one's going to listen to you.
Whatever your brand is,whatever it is, listen to your heart.
Your heart tells you you need help.
Your heart tells you that youwant more for your life.
Your heart tells you, whycan't I take that next step?
Why not me?
(21:16):
Stay tuned for more of womenroad warriors coming.
Industry movement TruckingMoves America Forward is telling
the story of the industry.
Our safety champions, thewomen of trucking, independent contractors,
the next generation oftruckers and more.
(21:36):
Help us promote the best ofour industry.
Share your story and what youlove about trucking.
Share images of a momentyou're proud of and join us on social
media.
Learn more at Trucking Moo'sAmerica May.
Welcome back to Women Roadwarriors with Shelly Johnson and
(21:59):
Kathy Tucaro.
Here's something every womanneeds to hear.
You don't have to settle orplay small.
Too many of us are conditionedto put ourselves last.
But Helene Lerner is proofthat that when women honor their
worth, incredible things happen.
She's an Emmy award winningexecutive producer, a public television
(22:22):
host and a sought afterworkplace consultant.
She's also the author of SmartWomen live richly no matter what's
in their wallet.
Helene has been featured onthe Today show, cnn, and Fox News.
And she's dedicated her careerto helping women embrace a prosperity
mindset, rise at work, andthrive in life.
If you've ever hesitated totake credit for your hard work, Helene's
(22:44):
here to remind you it's timeto stand up, shine, and own it.
Helene, your book is awonderful tutorial to success.
A gps, really, for women,smart women living richly no matter
what's in their wallet.
You have a step by step approach.
I mean, your chapter, thefirst chapter, shifting from Poverty
to Prosperity, A Road Less Traveled.
(23:06):
The theme of the chapter isletting go of a poverty mindset.
And it really does seem likewhen we deny ourselves, we kind of
do have that, don't we?
When we deny ourselves, yes.
And the thing that's happeningoutside ourselves.
In the past, we might havebeen able to get some kind of confirmation
(23:30):
from outside ourselves.
These days, I don't know wherewe can get the confirmation outside
ourselves.
The media is nutso.
The government has so many changes.
AI is constantly changing.
And I must say, I use AI andI'm so grateful for it.
(23:51):
But a lot of change is happening.
Yes.
So the one place that we canget that affirmation that we're looking
for is within ourselves.
Someone said to me the otherday, Shelly Zealous, I told her,
I mentioned it on anotherbroadcast, but I really liked it.
(24:14):
And she's head of the FemaleQuotient, and she said, instead of
empowerment, I call myself anempowerment expert.
What about empowerment,meaning going within?
And I think she's absolutely right.
It's about going within andreconnecting with your core values.
(24:38):
You know, by doing the work,by doing the exercises, by reaching
out for help, by exercisingmuscles I never had.
Kathy, I relate because Inever, you know, I was taught children
should be seen but not heard.
And you don't tell dirtylaundry to the neighbors.
(24:59):
And I, God bless.
I love my parents and they'reno longer here, but I heard this
growing up.
So it wasn't easy for me tostart being authentic, leveling with
people, letting them know howI feel, reaching out for help.
But once you start doing thatand you start helping other people,
(25:23):
what happens is that innermuscle grows.
Like we go to the gym, right?
And we grow, we tone down andwe do whatever the body thing is.
It's the same inwardly, wegrow that inner muscle.
And now I must say thatintuition is much more available
(25:46):
to me than it has been in years.
No, I also Want to say Imeditate, I pray, I take care.
I swim every morning a little bit.
So I'm taking care of myself.
If I'm going crazy, I call a friend.
I'm doing the things thatwon't keep me stuck.
(26:09):
So that vacuum cleaner istaking all my energy.
Now I have more, moreavailable to me.
That inner knowing, that intuition.
Do you relate to that, Shelleyand Kathy?
Oh, yeah.
Good God, yes.
Absolutely, yes.
And you have all of thesenuggets in your book.
(26:30):
You cover so many things inall of your chapters.
I know.
How did I do that, Shelley?
I don't know.
It came out.
All of it.
It's amazing.
And you really give people aroute to follow and get them thinking
differently.
I wanted to have you maybehighlight some of the chapters because
there's so much here, and Iwant people to kind of get a taste
(26:53):
of everything, you know.
One of my chapters, that's myfavorite, one of my favorites, so
the Receiving is definitelyone of them that I think is really
important for women because ifwe're exhausted and we're giving
all the time, we must take inas well and receive to keep that
(27:16):
flow going.
But another chapter that Ilove, and I hated it when I was younger,
I absolutely hated it.
The chapter is calledDiscipline Is My Friend.
I hated discipline in my 20s.
Oh, my.
(27:36):
It was like authority figures,you know, let me do anything.
If someone asked me to dosomething, I would do it if I was
working.
But I didn't like, you know,these authorities coming and telling
me what to do.
Yeah, I agree.
I. Oh, gosh.
As a kid, I hated it.
(27:57):
And you're right.
Oh, yeah.
And now, now what keeps megoing, which has helped me be as
successful as I am, is that onthose days, and we all have them,
I call them hanging on days.
On those hanging on days whereI don't want to get up, I don't want
to get out of bed.
And believe me, people aroundthe world are feeling this a lot
(28:22):
these days.
Having a routine, having thatdiscipline keeps me going.
So I know and I, I, I share alittle bit about this in the book,
but it's whatever works for you.
So in the morning, I get upand I do some meditation.
(28:45):
I, I don't do a lot of swimming.
I'm very lucky.
I live in New York City andthere's a health club near me, so
I do a little swimming, whichgets my body going.
I have an action partner Ispeak to in the morning briefly.
We share what we're going todo in terms of work actions in the
(29:07):
day.
And that keeps me going onthose days where I don't want to
get up.
Isn't that true for you?
Yeah.
You know what I have on mywall, I created in my office a wall
of love.
Because what it is, isletters, pictures, texts, you know,
(29:30):
notes.
I have gifts from peoplearound the world.
I have all the people writenotes on napkins.
And I made a big.
My entire wall.
And because when on the daysthat I don't feel like I want to
get out of bed or I lose mymotivation, I lose my focus, what
do I do next?
And I look at that wall, andthat is my reason.
(29:51):
That is my why.
You know, when they say, findyour why?
That is my why.
That is beautiful, Kathy.
That.
See, one of the things I'verealized, I've always been a very
driven person.
So I liked having two Emmysand seven Gracie Allen Awards, Most
Valuable Programmer for my distributor.
(30:12):
I loved the awards.
That was great.
But what I realized is I wasrunning so quickly, so, so fast,
not taking the time to letthings come in, to receive, right?
That in the book I talk aboutthe little things in life are really
(30:33):
the big things.
And when you talk, Kathy,about your wall, I saw all those
little moments with peoplethat you probably really connected
with.
That's the gold.
And.
And we forget that we thinkthe gold is only the gold in the
bank, and that's really the gold.
(30:53):
So the little things in lifeare really big things.
They really are.
And we tend to ignore them,and we shouldn't, because that's
really what makes life worth living.
I think too often people are so.
They're not in the moment anymore.
They're just glued to thisdevice that's telling them how to
feel or motivating them orgetting them to buy something, and
(31:17):
they've forgotten the humanityand smelling the flowers, smelling
the roses.
And I think your book bringspeople back to a lot of that.
You've got, what, 18 chaptersin this book?
It just kept pouring out of me.
But as I said, I wanted togive people a lot of practical information.
Some of the chapters, I'll putmy glasses on, thinking bigger, as
(31:42):
you said, letting go of apoverty mindset.
And I have things, you know,for your own reflection and nuggets
from your heart.
Because I really think ourpower is in our heart, not our head,
not the mad mind chatter.
And when you communicate withpeople, if they feel they're connecting
(32:05):
with you.
I have a chapter in the book,another one that I love that I really
haven't heard too many peopletalk about.
So I decided to is makingbusiness friends.
And what I mean by that isduring COVID one of the better things
that came from COVID is thatwe saw people on zoom on one of the
(32:30):
virtual things.
We saw them with their kidspulling at them.
We saw them with dogs, we sawtheir humanity.
As I said, I think we're allgoing through a mental health crisis.
I think there's a lot of posttraumatic stress that hasn't been
attended to.
You know, after going throughfive years, we were told many of
(32:53):
us we might die.
And now we're back.
And I think there's a lotgoing on.
And what I think is importantis that people need to know you care.
In a business deal, it's notenough just to bring, what can I
(33:14):
say, to bring some productthat works well for them.
I feel, I mean, it's great todo that and that's the first step.
But when I deal with people, Ireally want to know about them.
Unless they set up a boundaryand it's give me the product.
That's it.
In the book, I talk about in avery simple way, people who are like
(33:39):
storytellers, like me.
I like to tell stories.
I think, Kathy, you're likethat as well.
You noticed.
But I've also noticed thatpeople in business, there are people
that short to the point, youknow, so I respect that and I speak
their language.
But I think people need toknow in business and corporations
(34:04):
that you really care about them.
I mean, I'm not talking aboutpeople that are sloughing off a job
or something like that, butthat it's just not about 9 to 5 and
how are they progressing?
What are they going to do?
I was just, I did some eventsat Walmart and I, I love the company
(34:26):
now what they're doing,they're really investing in their
people and their founder.
They had a hologram in themuseum and I took a picture with
their founder shaking his hand.
And he truly believed that theassociates should be benefiting,
(34:49):
not just the people, theowners of the company.
And I do see with some, someof their C suite leaders, they're
really terrific.
And I think all of us need toknow that people care.
I mean, if you go in and makea business call and you hear someone
(35:09):
sniffling or having a cold, amI going to start selling them something?
I'm going to say, how are you feeling?
You don't sound too good.
Yeah.
And you know, unless theyreally put up a wall and say, I have
five minutes, what do you wantto do?
I'll, I'll spend some time andin fact, I'll even if, if that's
(35:33):
all we do is connect that day,I'll set up another time where I
can go and talk to them aboutwhat I wanted to talk to in terms
of product or whatever it is.
So making business friends, itdoesn't mean that you're going to
share all your dirty laundry,but it means that you're going beyond
(35:54):
the call of duty.
And I think people really know that.
They repeat they want to workwith you.
What's your experience, ladies?
Getting to know people, it'sreally important and it's rare, I
think now that you actuallyhave people who will take the time
to do that.
And that's what's lacking.
(36:15):
I mean, I think that that'sthe way things were done years ago.
I'd like to believe that maybethat's just a utopian idea in my
mind.
But I think that we've lostthe ability to have empathy.
I think that's true.
Business wants the bottom line.
I mean, that's why business is business.
(36:37):
But in the last several years,going through the changes we've gone
through, empathy, compassionhas been at a premium.
So no matter what governmentregulations or whatever else, there
are these amazing leaders.
They're groups like CatalystInc. And groups that really believe
(37:01):
in the advancement of women.
And they bring together CEOsfrom Fortune 500 companies on their
boards.
Many of these people have theright idea.
So yes, they need to sell andthey need to grow profit and they
have shareholders.
(37:23):
But there are a lot of, I seemore perhaps of people who are bending
and wanting to make a difference.
Stay tuned for more of womenRoadblocks Warriors.
Coming up.
(37:44):
Industry movement TruckingMoves America Forward is telling
the story of the industry.
Our safety champions, thewomen of trucking, independent contractors,
the next generation oftruckers and more help us promote
the best of our industry.
Share your story and what youlove about trucking.
Share images of a momentyou're proud of and join us on social
(38:05):
media.
Learn more@truckingmovesamerica.com.
Welcome back to Women Roadwarriors with Shelly Johnson and
Kathy Tucaro.
Let's talk about owning yourown power.
(38:26):
Too many women downplay theirworth, but Helene Lerner shows us
what happens when you flipthat script.
She's an Emmy award winningexecutive producer, a public TV host
and a leading consultant who'sbeen spotlighted on the Today Show,
CNN and Fox News.
Her book Smart Women Living Richly.
No matter what's in Theirwallet gives women the tools to thrive
(38:46):
with confidence and aprosperity mindset.
Helene's mission is simple but powerful.
Help women rise, prosper, andlive authentically.
Helene, you cover so manydifferent facets you of where people
can grow not only in theirpersonal but their business life.
Do you have some specifichighlights that maybe you could kind
(39:08):
of summarize?
The book.
I know it's kind of hard to dobecause you've got so many goodies
here.
I'm kind of scanning throughthe table of contents.
It's like there's so much wecan talk about.
I like one of the things.
Well, there are six keys.
So the book is smart womenlive richly no matter what's in your
wallet.
(39:28):
Six keys to unlock true wealthand prosperity.
So it's not only a book aboutmaking money.
It's true when you have aprosperity mindset, when you're appreciating
the day, when you're gratefulfor what you have, you're more attractive
and you attract more in your life.
(39:51):
But it's about a lot ofdifferent things.
So, for example, the six keysare giving up.
We gotta let go of the stuffthat ain't working, because if we
keep doing the same thing overand over again, we're gonna get the
same results.
Most of us are not happy with that.
(40:13):
And the second key is aboutgetting more.
You know, I loved.
I don't know if you know ofLouise Hay, but I was very fortunate.
She was the founder of HayHouse Publishing, and I knew Louise.
And when I started out manymoons ago, my hair is red, but underneath
(40:35):
is a lot of gray.
When I started out many moonsago, there was something that Louise
Hayes said that has alwaysstayed with me, and I didn't bring
that part in the book.
I had my own way of saying it,but she said, what do you go to the
ocean with?
Let's say the ocean is love, right?
(40:57):
And you have this image of an ocean.
Do you go with a thimble or doyou go with a soup doreen?
And the bottom line is thereis enough for everyone.
So if you're doing amazinglywell, you're not taking away from
(41:18):
anyone else.
There's an abundant universe,and it's starting to think bigger
about what you can achieve,what you want, what your visions
are.
And the third key is aboutgaining momentum once you start letting
go of some of this stuffyou've been holding on to.
(41:43):
There is a space.
I have a video on YouTubeabout decluttering.
And I was so scared.
I never considered myself a clutterer.
But then I took a look at mycloset, and there were a hundred
VHS tapes.
(42:03):
And what I realized is I waskeeping that because I was afraid
to let go.
If I let go of that, wherewould I be?
My shows, my VHS tape?
And you know what I found out?
That when you let go of thatclutter, whether it's physical clutter
or mind clutter, you have yourself.
(42:25):
So all that creativity that Ithought was just in that VHS tape,
it's in me.
So it's scary to let go.
But as you step out of yourcomfort zone, it does not feel comfortable.
And, Shelley, I hate the word fearlessness.
I have no idea what it meanswhen you step out of your comfort
(42:50):
zone, when you do somethingdifferent, when you start to think
bigger about yourself, it'snot going to feel comfortable, except
with support.
You don't have to stop.
And I'll tell you the onestory that I have which helped me
define my definition of confidence.
(43:11):
I wrote two books on confidence.
I was interviewing C Suite, actually.
She was the CEO of a $12billion insurance company at the
time, and she was the chiefmarketing officer in 2008, when everything
tanked.
And she was at a C Suite meeting.
(43:33):
And she said to me, helene, Itold them, we're going to focus on
growth, not recession.
And she said to me, you shouldhave seen my knees.
They were shaking under the table.
So my definition of confidenceis moving forward when you think
(43:56):
you can make a difference evenwith shaky knees.
So that definition of lookingat someone else who looks confident,
no one is as confident as wethink they are.
So we might as well take astep outside our comfort zone.
I agree.
(44:16):
Yes, I totally agree.
I operate the largestequipment in the world.
And two years ago, at the age.
Of 54, I had to learn how.
To operate the biggest dozerin the world, which is the size of
a double car garage.
And it takes a year to trainon these things, and at the very
end, they keep the worst for last.
So imagine you're on the.
On the cliff of a GrandCanyon, and there's a shovel beneath
(44:42):
you, and his bucket is there.
My job is to push the dirt tothe shovel so you can't see anything
because these blades are sobig and it's pitch black as it's
night shift.
And the only talk aboutstepping outside your comfort zone
is as you're pushing to theedge of the cliff, the whole dozer
will tip over and kill youback up.
But what that job has done,the more you do it, the more a little
(45:05):
bit Comfortable, you get tothe edge.
But what that job has done isgiven me confidence.
It's given me backbone.
It's given me leadership.
It's.
It's.
It's given me the.
The ability to face problemswith a stat, a stronger stance, if
you know what I mean.
So it's been such a giftbecause to.
(45:27):
If something comes my way now,it's like, ha, that's nothing.
You should see what I wasdoing last week.
Right, Kathy?
That's terrific.
That's really.
Because the reverse of that iswhen you know what to say, you're
in a meeting in a corporation,everyone is talking about how to
handle something.
None of it's going to work.
(45:48):
You know the answer, butyou're afraid to speak up because
you think you're going to beshot down.
So you go home that night andyou wonder why the next day you don't
want to go into work.
So that is the total oppositeof stepping out.
And what's the worst that can happen?
You can be shot down.
(46:11):
So what?
Maybe it's not the right jobfor you.
Maybe you can speak to someoneabout how they treated you.
But when you know the answeror you know you're able to do it,
even if you're afraid and youdon't do it, it's a killer.
It kills our spirit.
(46:31):
So I love what you said, Kathy.
I love that.
So, Helene, have we coveredall the keys that you cover?
Actually, I'll give you just afew other keys.
I also respect the people whogive back because I know I've been
given so much.
And I think what reallydistinguishes me from a lot of other
(46:54):
people who don't go the extramile is that I come from a spirit
of service, because I can get.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no,no, no, no.
And I want to put the sheetsover my head and.
And then I push from service,not ego from service.
(47:18):
And then I get the yes.
So when I come from reallyknowing that I have something that
I can offer that might helpsomeone, then I move through it rather
than stop with my fear.
So I respect people who give back.
And the fifth key is going theextra mile.
(47:40):
And the sixth key, which Ichallenge all your listeners, is
creating a greater life for yourself.
Isn't that what we hunger for, really?
You know, I think the biggest shame.
Kathy, you brought up shame atthe beginning.
(48:01):
The biggest shame.
I believe every one of us is a leader.
I don't care where you are inthe pecking order.
I think all of us are leaders.
But we have to pick our issues.
So we pick an issue and wehave something to contribute.
And the biggest shame is whenwe don't do it.
(48:21):
That's when we get upset,angry at ourselves, angry at other
people.
It's like a faucet of waterthat gets rusted.
The water is our talents andour gifts.
And when the faucet getsrusted because the water isn't being
used, that's the shame.
(48:43):
That's the shame.
It's not in the nose, becauseyou're bound to get a nose.
In business, when you offeryour talents, you'll get the job.
You may not get that job.
You may not.
You have to develop.
I've never developed a thickskin, but I get a lot of no's, and
that's just the nature of the business.
(49:03):
But I keep going from a spiritof service and knowing I have talents
and gifts that are needed now.
This world, and I'll end with this.
This world is in a tragicplace right now.
It needs every bit of yourlistener's resourcefulness.
(49:26):
Each of us has been givenspecial talents and gifts, and we'll
develop them throughout our lives.
It's not okay, folks, to sitback and not say anything anymore.
It's not okay not to use yourtalents and gifts.
And it's not just for you.
It's for everyone you could touch.
(49:48):
Amen to that.
I totally agree.
Helene said, I love your philosophies.
I love all of your knowledgeand your insight.
Where do people find your book?
And how do they connect with you?
Okay, you can go on Amazon now.
The book is coming out in October.
I'm going to say the title again.
Smart women live richly, nomatter what's in their wallet.
(50:12):
I'm Helene Lerner, and I'm theWomen Working Brand.
If you go to womenworking.com,you'll see all our social media links,
and we welcome you.
And what do I want to leaveyou with?
Oh, I love this.
I think it could have beenNorman Vincent Peale that said this.
(50:34):
I am not 100% sure, but Iloved it.
And when I had not built thecareer that I've built, I was sitting
and listening to that amazingspeaker, and he said, don't quit
before the miracle.
Mm.
I love it.
Yeah.
Yep.
(50:55):
Thank you so much for youramazing insight, Helene.
You're a true inspiration.
Well, thank you for being you,and thank you for doing all your
good work.
And I'm so happy, Shelly, wewere able to do this.
Thank you so much, Helene.
Glad we were able to coordinate.
It's been a great interview.
We hope you've enjoyed thislatest episode.
And if you want to hear moreepisodes of Women Road warriors or
(51:18):
or learn more about our show,be sure to check out womenroadwarriors.com
and don't forget to subscribeto our podcast.
Women Road warriors is on allthe major podcast channels like Apple,
Spotify, Amazon, Audible,YouTube and others.
Check us out and please followus wherever you listen to podcasts.
Thanks for listening.
(51:41):
You've been listening to WomenRoad warriors with Shelley Johnson
and Kathy Takaro.
If you want to be a guest onthe show or have a topic or feedback,
email us at sjohnsonomenroadwarriors.
Com.
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